Singapore Airlines is the flag carrier airline of Singapore, known for its exceptional service and consistent branding featuring the "Singapore Girl." It has repeatedly been ranked as the world's best airline by Skytrax, including in 2004, 2007, 2018, and 2023. The airline, a member of the Star Alliance, operates a modern fleet of Airbus and Boeing aircraft, connecting Singapore to destinations worldwide from its hub at Changi Airport.
May 1966: Formation of Malaysia-Singapore Airlines
Malaysian Airways was transformed into Malaysia-Singapore Airlines (MSA) in May 1966, featuring a new livery with a yellow MSA logo and a black nose on a white and grey fuselage.
1987: Singapore Airlines Logo Tweaked
The Singapore Airlines logo, a stylized bird inspired by a kris, received a minor update in 1987.
1997: Route Discontinuations After Asian Financial Crisis
Following the 1997 Asian financial crisis, Singapore Airlines discontinued routes to Berlin, Darwin, Cairns, Hangzhou, Kagoshima, and Sendai.
1997: Launch of KrisWorld In-Flight Entertainment System
KrisWorld, Singapore Airlines' in-flight entertainment system, was introduced in 1997 on Boeing 747-400, Airbus A310-300, Airbus A340-300, and Boeing 777-200 aircraft. This system provided a more cost-effective entertainment solution, surpassing the basic Thales systems offered by competitors like Virgin Atlantic and Emirates at the time.
2004: Skytrax World's Best Airline Award
Singapore Airlines was named the world's best airline by Skytrax in 2004.
October 2005: Introduction of Complimentary Berlitz Language Lessons
Singapore Airlines began offering free language lessons by Berlitz on its flights starting in October 2005.
December 2005: Addition of Live Text-News Feeds
In December 2005, Singapore Airlines added live text-news feeds to its in-flight entertainment system.
2005: AirAsia Accuses Singapore Airlines of Double Standards
In 2005, Malaysian low-cost carrier AirAsia accused Singapore Airlines of hypocrisy, claiming that the Singaporean government attempted to block AirAsia from entering the Singapore market, despite Singapore Airlines' own desire to operate routes out of Australia.
2005: Singapore Airlines Livery Update
Singapore Airlines updated its livery in 2005, featuring a larger "Singapore Airlines" font placed further forward on the aircraft and an enlarged bird logo.
October 2006: Cabin and In-Flight Service Upgrades Announced
On October 2006, Singapore Airlines revealed plans for a significant upgrade to its cabin and in-flight service. This S$570 million investment marked the first major overhaul in eight years.
December 2006: Discontinuation of Connexion by Boeing Live Television Streaming
Connexion by Boeing, an in-flight internet service introduced in 2005, was discontinued in December 2006. Live television streaming was proposed on Connexion but ultimately not implemented.
2007: New Linux-Based KrisWorld System
A new KrisWorld system built on Red Hat Enterprise Linux was introduced in 2007. This updated system featured a redesigned interface, expanded programming, and standard audio and video on demand. Widescreen personal video systems were incorporated in all cabins, including 23-inch LCD monitors in First Class, 15-inch monitors in Business Class, and 10.6-inch monitors in Economy Class. This new KrisWorld was made available on Airbus A330, Airbus A380, and Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.
2007: Singapore-Kuala Lumpur Route Liberalization
Singapore Airlines embraced the liberalization of the Singapore-Kuala Lumpur route in 2007, which had been restricted to Singapore Airlines and Malaysia Airlines for over three decades to shield the state-owned carriers from competition.
2007: Skytrax World's Best Airline Award
Singapore Airlines received the Skytrax award for the world's best airline again in 2007.
September 2008: Market Share Changes on the Singapore-Kuala Lumpur Route
The entry of low-cost carriers on the Singapore-Kuala Lumpur route by September 2008, resulted in Singapore Airlines' market share decreasing to 46.7%, Malaysia Airlines' to 25.3%, and the three new low-cost carriers gaining a combined 17.3% share.
December 2008: Full Liberalization of the Singapore-Kuala Lumpur Route
The Singapore-Kuala Lumpur route was fully liberalized on December 1, 2008. Singapore Airlines reduced its flights to four per day, while SilkAir also operated four daily flights. Malaysia Airlines, a major opponent of the route's liberalization, continued codesharing with both Singapore Airlines and SilkAir.
July 2009: Introduction of New Economy Class Seats on Boeing 777
As part of a cabin retrofit program, Singapore Airlines introduced a similar economy class seat design on Boeing 777 aircraft. Starting with the Boeing 777-300 on the Singapore-Sydney route on July 22, 2009, these seats featured slightly smaller 9-inch screens and AVOD in each seat.
2009: Route Discontinuations: Vancouver and Amritsar
Singapore Airlines discontinued service to Vancouver and Amritsar in 2009.
2010: Publication of "Above & Beyond" Cookbook
In 2010, Singapore Airlines released a cookbook titled "Above & Beyond: A Collection of Recipes from the Singapore Airlines Culinary Panel."
October 2011: Dedicated Business Class Upper Deck on A380
In October 2011, Singapore Airlines introduced a new configuration on eight Airbus A380 aircraft, dedicating the entire upper deck to Business class. This differed from the initial layout where the upper deck was shared between business and economy class.
August 2012: Singapore Airlines Launches In-Flight Connectivity with New KrisWorld Entertainment System
In August 2012, Singapore Airlines launched its new KrisWorld entertainment system in partnership with Panasonic Avionics. The new system boasted larger, higher-resolution screens, touch-screen controllers, updated software, and most notably, in-flight connectivity. This allowed passengers to make phone calls, send text messages, and access the internet for a fee. This new system was first made available on Airbus A350-900 and refitted Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, with in-flight connectivity also extended to select Airbus A380s.
July 2013: Release of New Cabin Products
In July 2013, Singapore Airlines, in partnership with James Park Associates and DesignworksUSA, introduced new cabin products for first, business, and economy class. These debuted on newly delivered Boeing 777-300ERs, commencing with the London Heathrow route, and were later extended to Airbus A350s and older Boeing 777-300ERs.
July 2013: Redesign of Economy Class Seat
A redesigned economy class seat was launched in July 2013 alongside new first and business class products. Key features included 32 inches of legroom, slimmer seats, an adjustable headrest, and an 11.1-inch touch-screen in-flight entertainment system, controllable via a touch-screen handset. This new seat was initially exclusive to new Airbus A350-900s and refurbished Boeing 777-300ERs.
July 2013: Unveiling of New Business Class
A redesigned Business Class was revealed in July 2013, available on refurbished Boeing B777-300ERs and the Airbus A350-900. Notable features included an integrated power socket and port panel, convenient stowage, two new seating positions in a 1-2-1 configuration, and an 18-inch in-flight entertainment screen. The seat boasts a 132-degree recline and can transform into a 78-inch bed.
October 2013: Termination of Non-Stop Service to Los Angeles
Singapore Airlines ended non-stop flights to Los Angeles on October 20, 2013, opting instead to service the route via Tokyo-Narita.
November 2013: Termination of Non-Stop Service to Newark
On November 23, 2013, Singapore Airlines replaced its non-stop service to Newark with a Singapore-New York JFK route via Frankfurt.
October 2015: Announcement to Resume Singapore-New York Non-Stop Route
On October 14, 2015, Singapore Airlines revealed its intention to resume the world's longest non-stop flight between Singapore and New York.
October 2016: Resumption of Non-Stop Flights to San Francisco
Singapore Airlines reintroduced non-stop flights between Singapore and San Francisco on October 23, 2016, using A350-900 aircraft.
2016: Route Discontinuation: São Paulo
Singapore Airlines ceased operations to São Paulo in 2016.
November 2017: New Airbus A380-800 Cabin Products Unveiled
Singapore Airlines launched new cabin products for the Airbus A380-800 in November 2017, costing approximately S$1.16 billion. This move aimed to counter growing competition from Middle Eastern airlines. The redesigned layout featured 6 suites and 78 business class seats on the upper deck, 44 Premium Economy Class seats, and 3-4-3 Economy Class seats on the lower deck.
November 2017: New A380 Business Class Seats Introduced
The new A380 business-class seats, unveiled in November 2017, were gradually implemented on the Airbus A380-800 fleet. The 78 Business class seats were arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration behind the Singapore Airlines Suites on the upper deck. Designed by JPA Design and upholstered with Poltrona Frau leather, the seats recline into fully flat beds.
December 2017: Debut of New A380 Cabin Products in Sydney
The new A380 cabin products were first implemented on five new Airbus A380 aircraft delivered to Singapore Airlines. Existing A380s were retrofitted with these products until 2020. Sydney became the first city to experience the new product on December 2017.
March 2018: Launch of New Regional Business Class
Following the delivery of the first Boeing 787-10, the new regional business class was unveiled on March 2018. Featuring forward-facing seats by Stelia Aerospace in a 1-2-1 staggered configuration, the new class ensured direct aisle access for every passenger.
May 2018: Capital Express Route Change
Singapore Airlines altered the Capital Express route, changing the intermediate stop from Canberra to Melbourne in May 2018.
November 2018: Resumption of Non-Stop Flights to Los Angeles
Singapore Airlines recommenced non-stop flights to Los Angeles on November 2, 2018, using Airbus A350-900ULRs.
2018: Skytrax World's Best Airline Award
Singapore Airlines won the world's best airline award from Skytrax in 2018.
February 2019: Singapore Airlines Mobile App Raises Privacy Concerns with Session-Replay Functionality
In February 2019, TechCrunch reported that the Singapore Airlines mobile app available on the iOS App Store was using session-replay technology to record user activity and send this data to the Israeli firm Glassbox, without explicit user consent. This raised concerns about user privacy and potential violations of iOS App Store rules.
2019: Skytrax Awards
Singapore Airlines won the Skytrax award for the world's best airline cabin crew, as well as second and fourth places for world's best airlines and world's cleanest airlines respectively in 2019.
March 2020: Temasek Holdings Takes Majority Ownership
In March 2020, Temasek Holdings, the Singapore government's investment arm, acquired a 55% voting stake in Singapore Airlines.
March 2020: Suspension of Singapore-New York Non-Stop Route Due to COVID-19
The non-stop route between Singapore and New York, Flights 21 and 22, was suspended again in March 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
November 2020: Launch of Non-Stop Flights to New York JFK
Singapore Airlines inaugurated non-stop flights between Changi Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York on November 9, 2020, establishing Flights 23 and 24 as the world's longest scheduled flight.
2020: Completion of A380 Fleet Retrofit
By 2020, the entire Singapore Airlines A380 fleet was retrofitted with the new cabin products that were introduced in November 2017.
2020: Capital Express Suspension
Singapore Airlines suspended the Capital Express route in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
March 2021: Reintroduction of Boeing 737
Singapore Airlines reintroduced the Boeing 737 to its fleet in March 2021 after merging with SilkAir.
March 2022: Resumption of Singapore-New York Non-Stop Route
Singapore Airlines restarted the Singapore-New York non-stop route in March 2022 following its suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
December 2023: Fleet Size
As of December 2023, Singapore Airlines' fleet comprised 159 aircraft, including 147 passenger aircraft and 12 freighters.
2023: Skytrax World's Best Airline Award
For the fourth time, Singapore Airlines was named the world's best airline by Skytrax in 2023.