SIA delays roll-out of new first, business class seats on A350 fleet to 2027

[SINGAPORE] Singapore Airlines (SIA) will introduce its next-generation first- and business-class seats on its Airbus A350-900 fleet in the first quarter of 2027, instead of the second quarter of 2026.

This is because of industry-wide supply chain constraints and a delay in the certification of one of the new seats, an SIA spokesperson said on Tuesday (May 5) in response to queries from The Straits Times.

The upgraded seats are part of a S$1.1 billion multi-year upgrade to the cabins of 41 Airbus A350 aircraft. The makeover covers all cabin classes and will be done in Singapore by SIA Engineering.

When announcing the plans in November 2024, SIA said the work on the fleet of 41 aircraft was expected to take six years and would be completed by the end of 2030.

The first A350-900 long-haul aircraft with the upgraded cabin was expected to enter service in the second quarter of 2026, followed by the A350-900 ultra-long-range version in 2027.

SIA has not shown what the refreshed cabin classes would look like, but said the new long-haul first- and business-class seats will have “a spacious layout and ergonomic elements”.

A teaser image of its new business-class product in 2024 showed that the new seats will feature privacy doors, similar to Qatar Airways’ Qsuite.

The revamp involves changing the configuration of 34 A350-900 long-haul aircraft to have 42 business-class seats, 24 premium economy seats and 192 economy-class seats – five more economy seats than in the current layout.

As for the seven A350-900 ultra-long-range jets, they will get new premium economy and business cabins, along with first-class seats, which are currently not available on this aircraft type. Post-upgrade, the aircraft will have four first-class seats, 70 business-class seats and 58 premium economy seats. This is three more business-class seats and 36 fewer premium economy seats than the current arrangement.

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SIA, the spokesperson added, will unveil its improved travel offerings later in 2026. These include the new long-haul first-class, business-class, premium economy and economy-class products, an enhanced dining experience, and the next-generation KrisWorld in-flight entertainment system. THE STRAITS TIMES