• Five-star carrier Singapore Airlines is investing $830 million to upgrade 41 Airbus A350 aircraft.
• This includes new first and business classes, which will also be present on Singapore’s future Boeing 777X.

Singapore Airlines plans to spend more than $800 million to upgrade its long-haul planes as customers demand more luxury at 35,000 feet.

The carrier, regularly classified among the best airlines in the worldunveiled its project to modernize 41 Airbus A350s on Monday. The first of 34 A350-900s and the first of seven A350-900ULRs will be launched in the second quarter of 2026 and the first quarter of 2027, respectively.

The redesign will include new business and first class seats designed “from A to Z”, and “refreshed” economy and premium cabins, the company said.

The new seats will also be presented at the highly anticipated Singapore Motor Show Boeing 777X, which will not enter service until at least 2026 amid ongoing production delays.

Singapore has given few specific details about the upgraded cabins, but one thing is clear: the airline is finally adding a sliding door to business class.

The private door, a flyer favoriteis an increasingly popular benefit in business class.

This feature is missing from Singapore’s current business seat, but the new candle feature could help the carrier improve its business cabin in the ultra-competitive market, especially after its arrival. second behind Qatar for the best business class in the world in 2024.

Airlines around the world are taking advantage of the high demand trend. In recent years, Air India, American airlinesBritish Airways, Korean Air and Turkish Airlines, for example, have all announced new door-equipped business class cabins to keep up with the competition.

“Over the past six years, we have extensively involved our customers and stakeholders in the design of our next-generation long-haul cabin products, anticipating their evolving preferences and expectations down to the smallest detail,” said Singapore CEO Goh Choon Phong in a press release. release.

Singapore builds on its award-winning first-class network

The addition of first class on Singapore’s A350-900ULR aircraft is a significant change. The current configuration of the aircraft only offers business and premium economy and is used for ultra-long-haul flights, including on the the longest route in the world between New York and Singapore.

According to the airline’s vague rendering, the new first class appears to span at least three windows and maintain a spacious pod-like design with doors.

Singapore already claims first class on its double-decker Boeing 777-300ER and Airbus A380 aircraft. The latter welcomes the the world’s best first class, known as Suites. The chic hotel-style cabin features a separate bed and chair, and two modules can be combined into a two-person suite with a double bed.

Suites aren’t cheap, costing between $16,000 and $24,000 round trip, depending on December ticket prices between London and Singapore. THE A380s do not fly to the United Statesbut Singapore’s upgraded A350s mean first class will likely be available in the United States again.

The new cabin represents the airline’s continued focus on the front of the aircraft. Singapore’s A350-900ULR will add three business class seats but lose 36 premium economy seats to make way for first class. It will not introduce regular coach cabin.

Many other airlines, including Air India, Qatar Airways and Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific, are also planning new international first-class cabins, signaling that the cabin is not dead yet. despite the fact that US airlines have abandoned the high-priced seat.