History of Singapore Airlines in Timeline
Singapore Airlines, the flag carrier of Singapore, operates from its hub at Changi Airport. Widely regarded as one of the world's best airlines, it holds a 5-star rating and has been named Skytrax's World's Best Airline five times. The airline's fleet includes Airbus and Boeing aircraft such as the A350-900, A380, and 777-300ER. Notably, Singapore Airlines emphasizes the 'Singapore Girl' in its branding and maintains a consistent livery. It has been a member of Star Alliance since April 2000.
May 1966: Malaysian Airways Became Malaysia-Singapore Airlines
In May 1966, Malaysian Airways (MAL) transitioned to Malaysia-Singapore Airlines (MSA). The original MSA livery featured a yellow MSA logo on the vertical stabilizer and a black nose, with a white and grey fuselage.
1987: Minor tweak in the Logo
In 1987, The Singapore Airlines logo had a minor tweak, which is a stylised bird inspired by a keris, a dagger that is a cultural symbol of the region. The keris is central in Singapore Airlines' branding.
1997: Route Discontinuations After Asian Financial Crisis
In 1997, following the Asian financial crisis, Singapore Airlines discontinued its routes to Berlin, Darwin, Cairns, Hangzhou, Kagoshima, and Sendai.
2005: AirAsia Accusation of Double Standards
In 2005, AirAsia accused Singapore Airlines of double standards, claiming the Government of Singapore attempted to keep it out of the Singapore market.
2005: Minor 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. The blue/gold sections of the tail is cut horizontally. The first set of windows are also no longer left out from the blue/gold/yellow strip.
October 2006: Announcement of Major Cabin and In-Flight Service Upgrades
On 17 October 2006, Singapore Airlines announced major upgrades to its cabin and in-flight service, the first major overhaul in over eight years, costing the airline approximately S$570 million.
December 2006: Introduction of New Upgrades
On 5 December 2006, the new major upgrades planned for the Airbus A380-800's introduction into service in 2006, were introduced with the launch of the first Boeing 777-300ER with the airline between Singapore and Paris, due to the postponement of the first A380-800 delivery.
October 2007: Removal of Engine Logos
Since October 2007, the engine logos were subsequently removed.
2007: Liberalisation of Singapore-Kuala Lumpur Route
In 2007, Singapore Airlines welcomed the liberalisation of the Singapore-Kuala Lumpur route.
September 2008: Singapore Airline's capacity share on the route down
As of 22 September 2008, Singapore Airline's capacity share on the route was down to about 46.7%, Malaysia Airlines' down to 25.3%, and increase to 17.3% to the three LCCs now permitted on the route, and the remainder shared by three other airlines.
December 2008: Changes in Flight Operations on Singapore-Kuala Lumpur Route
Until 1 December 2008, Singapore Airlines operated six flights per day, however, after, Singapore Airlines operated four flights per day, while its sister airline SilkAir also operated four flights per day.
July 2009: Singapore–Sydney route introduced the product
On July 22, 2009, Singapore Airlines introduced a similar design on board the Boeing 777 aircraft through its ongoing cabin retrofit program, with the Boeing 777–300 as the first model to undergo refit and introducing the product on the Singapore–Sydney route.
2009: Discontinuation of Vancouver and Amritsar Flights
In 2009, Singapore Airlines discontinued flights to Vancouver and Amritsar.
July 2013: Release of New Cabin Products
On 9 July 2013, Singapore Airlines released new cabin products for the first, business, and economy classes, in collaboration with design firms James Park Associates and DesignworksUSA.
July 2013: Redesign of the economy class seat unveiled
On July 9, 2013, Singapore Airlines unveiled a redesign of the economy class seat, featuring 32-inch (81 cm) of legroom, slimmer seats, an adjustable headrest, and an 11.1-inch (28 cm) touch-screen inflight entertainment system with new KrisWorld software.
July 2013: Unveiling of Current Business Class Version
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. Features include a power socket and ports all in one panel, stowage beside the seat, two new seating positions, arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration and an 18-inch in-flight entertainment screen.
October 2013: Termination of Nonstop Service to Los Angeles
On 20 October 2013, Singapore Airlines terminated nonstop service to Los Angeles, but continued to serve Los Angeles from Singapore via Tokyo-Narita. All A340-500s were phased out in 2013 and nonstop flights to both destinations were terminated.
November 2013: Termination of Nonstop Service to Newark
On 23 November 2013, Singapore Airlines terminated nonstop service to Newark in favor of a Singapore-New York JFK route via Frankfurt. All A340-500s were phased out in 2013 and nonstop flights to both destinations were terminated.
2013: Dropped Singapore-New York Non-Stop Flights
Singapore Airlines had dropped the world's longest non-stop flight between Singapore and New York in 2013. A340-500 aircraft were formerly employed to serve this route until their retirement in 2013.
October 2015: Announcement to Resume Singapore-New York Non-Stop Flight
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 the United States, beginning with San Francisco, with the route flown by the A350-900 aircraft.
2016: Discontinuation of São Paulo Flights
In 2016, Singapore Airlines discontinued flights to São Paulo.
December 2017: First City Served with New A380 Product
On 18 December 2017, Sydney was the first city served with the new Airbus A380-800 product.
May 2018: Change in Intermediate Stop for Singapore-Wellington Route
In May 2018, Singapore Airlines changed the intermediate stop for its Singapore-Wellington, New Zealand route from Canberra to Melbourne. The route was known as the Capital Express.
October 2018: Resumption of Singapore-New York Non-Stop Flight
On 18 October 2018, Singapore Airlines resumed the Singapore-New York non-stop flight following the acquisition of new Airbus A350-900ULR aircraft. At the time, Singapore Airlines Flights 21 and 22 was the longest scheduled route in the world.
November 2018: Resumption of Non-Stop Flights to Los Angeles
From 2 November 2018, Singapore Airlines resumed non-stop flights to Los Angeles with the delivery of the Airbus A350-900ULRs.
February 2019: Singapore Airlines mobile app privacy concerns
In February 2019, TechCrunch reported that the Singapore Airlines mobile app in the iOS App Store was using session-replay functionality to record users' activities and send the data to Israeli firm Glassbox without the users' informed consent.
March 2020: Temasek Holdings Ownership
As of March 2020, Singapore Airlines is majority-owned by Temasek Holdings, the Singapore government's investment company, holding 55% of voting stock.
March 2020: Suspension of Singapore-New York Non-Stop Flight due to COVID-19
In March 2020, Singapore Airlines suspended the Singapore-New York non-stop flight due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
November 2020: Relaunch of Nonstop Flights Between Changi Airport and New York
On 9 November 2020, Singapore Airlines relaunched the nonstop flights between Changi Airport and New York, but this time to John F. Kennedy International Airport, three times a week. The route, Singapore Airlines Flights 23 and 24, is the longest scheduled flight in the world.
2020: Suspension of Capital Express Route
In 2020, the Capital Express route was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
2020: Retrofitting of Existing A380 Fleet
The existing Airbus A380 fleet had these new products retrofitted until 2020.
March 2021: Re-introduction of the Boeing 737
Singapore Airlines operates a predominantly widebody fleet, until the second re-introduction of the Boeing 737 in March 2021 following the merger with SilkAir.
March 2022: Resumption of Singapore-New York Non-Stop Flight
In March 2022, Singapore Airlines resumed the Singapore-New York non-stop flight.
June 2024: Singapore Airlines voted 2024 Best Airline in the World by Skytrax
On June 24, 2024, Singapore Airlines was voted 2024 Best Airline in the World by Skytrax for the second consecutive time, also scooping the top awards for Best Cabin Staff and Best First Class in World and the Best Airline in Asia.
November 2024: Impact of Supply-Chain Issues
In November 2024, Singapore Airlines announced that they were feeling the impact of the aviation industry’s widespread supply-chain issues, estimating it is likely to have five fewer aircraft than planned by the end of the 2024 fiscal year, with 204 jets in fleet, due to delivery delays.
February 2025: Singapore Airlines Fleet Composition
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 Ranking
In February 2025, Fortune magazine ranked Singapore Airlines 28th in the annual World’s Most Admired Companies list. Within the airline category, Singapore Airlines was ranked as the world's second most admired airline.
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