History of Singapore Airlines in Timeline

Singapore Airlines, the flag carrier of Singapore based at Changi Airport, is renowned for its exceptional service and consistent branding, particularly the iconic "Singapore Girl." Recognized as a 5-star airline, it has been named the world's best by Skytrax multiple times. The airline's fleet includes a mix of Airbus and Boeing aircraft, such as the A350-900, A380, 737 MAX 8, 777-300ER and 787-10. Singapore Airlines has been a member of the Star Alliance since April 2000.

May 1966: Malaysian Airways becomes Malaysia-Singapore Airlines

In May 1966, Malaysian Airways (MAL) became Malaysia-Singapore Airlines (MSA).

1987: Minor Tweak in Logo

In 1987, the Singapore Airlines logo underwent a minor tweak.

1992: Toronto Route Discontinued

In 1992, the Toronto route was discontinued due to a petition from Air Canada.

1997: Routes Discontinued After Asian Financial Crisis

After the Asian financial crisis in 1997, Singapore Airlines discontinued its routes to Berlin, Darwin, Cairns, Hangzhou, Kagoshima, and Sendai.

April 2000: Star Alliance Membership

In April 2000, Singapore Airlines became a member of Star Alliance.

2003: Flights Ceased Due to SARS Outbreak

During the SARS outbreak in 2003, Singapore Airlines ceased flights to Brussels, Chicago, Las Vegas, Hiroshima, Kaohsiung, Madrid, Mauritius, Shenzhen, Surabaya, and Vienna.

2005: Accusations by AirAsia

In 2005 AirAsia accused Singapore Airlines of double standards.

2005: Livery Update

In 2005, the Singapore Airlines livery received a minor update where the "Singapore Airlines" wording was enlarged and shifted closer towards the front of the aircraft, and the bird logo was also enlarged.

October 2006: Major Cabin and Service Upgrades Announced

On 17 October 2006, Singapore Airlines announced major upgrades to its cabin and in-flight service.

December 2006: Introduction of New Cabin and Service on Boeing 777-300ER

On 5 December 2006, the new cabin and service were introduced with the launch of the first Boeing 777-300ER with the airline between Singapore and Paris.

October 2007: Engine Logos Removed

Since October 2007, the engine logos were removed.

2007: Liberalisation of Singapore-Kuala Lumpur Route

In 2007 Singapore Airlines welcomed the liberalisation of the Singapore-Kuala Lumpur route.

March 2008: Share of International Traffic in Australia

In the month ended March 2008, Singapore Airlines flew 11.0% of all international traffic into and out of Australia.

September 2008: Capacity Share on Singapore-Kuala Lumpur Route

As of 22 September 2008, Singapore Airline's capacity share on the Singapore-Kuala Lumpur route was about 46.7%, Malaysia Airlines' down to 25.3%, and increase to 17.3% to the three LCCs now permitted on the route.

December 2008: Flights per Day

Until 1 December 2008, Singapore Airlines operated six flights per day.

2009: Flights Discontinued to Vancouver and Amritsar

In 2009, Singapore Airlines discontinued flights to Vancouver and Amritsar.

October 2011: Dedicated Business Class on Airbus A380 Upper Deck

In October 2011, Singapore Airlines dedicated the entire upper deck to the Business class cabin on eight Airbus A380 aircraft.

July 2013: Release of New Cabin Products

On 9 July 2013, Singapore Airlines released new cabin products for the first, business, and economy classes.

July 2013: Current Version of Business Class Unveiled

The current version of the Business Class was unveiled on 9 July 2013 and is available on refitted Boeing B777-300ERs and the Airbus A350-900.

October 2013: Termination of Nonstop Service to Los Angeles

On 20 October 2013, Singapore Airlines terminated nonstop service from Singapore to Los Angeles. The airline continues to serve Los Angeles from Singapore via Tokyo-Narita.

November 2013: Termination of Nonstop Service to Newark

On 23 November 2013, Singapore Airlines terminated nonstop service from Singapore to Newark in favour of a Singapore-New York JFK route via Frankfurt.

2013: Drop of the world's longest non-stop flight between Singapore and New York

A340-500 aircraft were formerly employed to serve this route until their retirement in 2013.

October 2015: Plans to Resume Non-Stop Flight to New York

On 14 October 2015, Singapore Airlines announced plans to resume the world's longest non-stop flight between Singapore and New York.

October 2016: Resumption of Non-Stop Flights to San Francisco

From 23 October 2016, Singapore Airlines resumed non-stop flights from Singapore to San Francisco.

2016: São Paulo Flights Discontinued

In 2016, Singapore Airlines discontinued flights to São Paulo.

November 2017: Release of New Cabin Products for Airbus A380-800

On 2 November 2017, Singapore Airlines released new cabin products for the Airbus A380-800.

November 2017: New A380 Business-Class Seats Unveiled

On 2 November 2017, the new A380 business-class seats were being progressively rolled out on the Airbus A380-800 fleet.

December 2017: First City Served with New Airbus A380-800 Products

On 18 December 2017, Sydney was the first city served with the new Airbus A380-800 products.

March 2018: New Regional Business Class Unveiled

On 28 March 2018, the new regional business class was unveiled following the delivery of the first Boeing 787-10.

May 2018: Change to Capital Express Route

In May 2018, the intermediate stop for flights between Singapore and Wellington, New Zealand, was changed from Canberra to Melbourne. This route was known as the Capital Express.

October 2018: Resumption of Non-Stop Flights to Newark

From 11 October 2018, Singapore Airlines resumed non-stop flights from Singapore to Newark.

October 2018: Resumption of Singapore-New York Route

SIA resumed the route following the acquisition of new Airbus A350-900ULR aircraft on 18 October 2018.

November 2018: Resumption of Non-Stop Flights to Los Angeles

From 2 November 2018, Singapore Airlines resumed non-stop flights from Singapore to Los Angeles.

2019: Skytrax World's Best Airline Cabin Crew 2019

In 2019, Singapore Airlines was voted as the Skytrax World's Best Airline Cabin Crew.

March 2020: Majority Ownership by Temasek Holdings

As of March 2020, Singapore Airlines is majority-owned by Temasek Holdings, holding 55% of voting stock.

March 2020: Suspension of Singapore-New York Route

The Singapore-New York route was suspended in March 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic.

November 2020: Relaunch of Nonstop Flights Between Changi Airport and New York

On 9 November 2020, SIA relaunched the nonstop flights between Changi Airport and New York, but this time to John F. Kennedy International Airport.

2020: Suspension of Capital Express Route

In 2020, the Capital Express route was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

2020: Existing A380 Fleet Retrofitted

Until 2020, the existing A380 fleet had the new products retrofitted.

March 2021: Re-introduction of Boeing 737

Singapore Airlines had the re-introduction of the Boeing 737 in March 2021 following the merger with SilkAir.

March 2022: Resumption of Singapore-New York Route

The Singapore-New York route resumed in March 2022.

November 2022: Merger agreement between Tata Group and Singapore Airlines

In November 2022, Tata Group and Singapore Airlines reached an agreement for Vistara to merge with Air India.

2023: Flights to Australia

As of summer 2023, Singapore Airlines operated more flights to Australia than any other country.

2023: Skytrax Awards 2023

In 2023, Singapore Airlines for the fifth time won the "Best Airline" and also the "Best First Class Airline" by Skytrax.

November 2024: Investment in New Aircraft Seats

In November 2024, Singapore Airlines pledged to invest S$1.1 billion ($828 million) to overhaul the seats in its long-haul aircraft.

November 2024: Impact of Supply-Chain Issues

In November 2024, Singapore Airlines reported experiencing the impact of widespread aviation industry supply-chain issues and expected to have five fewer aircrafts by the end of the 2024 fiscal year.

November 2024: Vistara and Air India merger

On 12 November 2024, the merger between Vistara and Air India officially took place.

February 2025: Aircraft Registered

As of February 2025, there were 163 aircraft registered in the Singapore Airlines fleet, comprising 151 passenger aircraft and 12 freighters.

February 2025: Fortune's World's Most Admired Companies

In February 2025, Fortune magazine ranked Singapore Airlines 28th in the annual World’s Most Admired Companies. It was ranked the world's second most admired airline.