Inside Singapore Airlines' $2.26bn cabin refit: the battle for premium air travel

The revised timeline reflects what Singapore Airlines described as industry-wide supply chain constraints and a delay in the certification of one of the new seats. Yeoh Phee Teik, senior vice president customer experience, told a press conference the A350 seats had not yet been certified, unlike the seats for the still-to-be-approved 777-9. 'We are undergoing that process right now,' he said.

Lee Lik Hsin, the airline's chief commercial officer, said the Boeing 777-9s are expected by the second half of 2027. 'We are working hand in hand and working very hard with our partners [the plane and seat makers] to make sure that we achieve those milestones,' he said.

The constraints come as airlines struggle to keep up with surging demand for seats. Aviation data and analytics company Cirium reported that nine Singapore Airlines flights from Australia to Europe saw a 25 per cent increase in passengers in the second quarter of 2026 compared to the same period last year, with fares surging 109 per cent.

Part of the bottleneck for new cabins is the limited number of suppliers qualified to build and certify aircraft seats. The process is a costly and time-consuming one. Recaro, which manufactures Singapore Airlines' new business class seats, operates its own crash-test facility in Germany, where a single test of a business-class seat can cost up to €100,000 ($162,000), with specific certifications requiring up to 18 separate tests. 'There aren't that many seat suppliers, and it's a rather labour-intensive operation,' said Richard Aboulafia, managing director of AeroDynamic Advisory, speaking at a forum in June.

Across the industry, delays in getting new aircraft have prompted airlines, constrained in their ability to get them, to resort to cabin refreshes to stay competitive. This has set off a rush in demand for premium seating, straining both manufacturers and the regulators who must certify them. Aboulafia said a kind of groupthink had taken hold as airlines decided to retrofit their entire fleet.

The new first-class seats, manufactured by Collins Aerospace in the United States, are the result of a nearly decade-long development process. Designer Ben Rowan of London-based PriestmanGoode, who designed the layout, said the cabin breaks away from traditional rigid lines with an undulating shape. 'The curve in the aisle unlocks more space for the passenger,' Rowan said. 'You're not looking at office cubicles in a straight line. This is a much more curving, welcoming space.' The cabin features Poltrona Frau leather upholstery, individual full-flat beds, and adjacent seats that can transform into a two-seater sofa. The slightly hexagonal cabins allow passengers to turn and place their feet on the floor when getting up, a sensation Lee Lik Hsin described as being similar to a bedroom.

For business class, the airline has chosen a blue-grey colour for its new seats, which will recline into a 79-inch-long fully flat bed, replacing the diagonal set-up Singapore Airlines is known for. Economy seats have a redesigned reclining mechanism with better knee and shin clearance and an adjustable headrest, while premium economy seats will have adjustable foot and leg rests, dedicated storage and a cocktail tray.