History of Singapore Airlines in Timeline
Singapore Airlines, the flag carrier of Singapore, is consistently ranked among the world's best airlines. Operating from its hub at Changi Airport, it boasts a 5-star rating and has been named Skytrax's World's Best Airline multiple times. Its fleet comprises a mix of Airbus and Boeing aircraft. The airline is known for its iconic Singapore Girl branding and stable livery. Singapore Airlines has been a member of Star Alliance since April 2000.
May 1966: Malaysia-Singapore Airlines Formation
In May 1966, Malaysian Airways (MAL) became Malaysia-Singapore Airlines (MSA).
1987: Minor Logo Tweak
In 1987, the Singapore Airlines logo, which is a stylised bird inspired by a keris, underwent a minor tweak.
1997: Introduction of KrisWorld in-flight entertainment system
In 1997, Singapore Airlines introduced KrisWorld, its in-flight entertainment system, on Boeing 747–400, Airbus A310-300, Airbus A340-300 and Boeing 777–200 aircraft. KrisWorld overhauled Singapore Airlines' in-flight experience with a new, cheaper entertainment solution.
1997: Route Discontinuations After Asian Financial Crisis
In 1997, after the Asian financial crisis, Singapore Airlines discontinued its routes to Berlin, Darwin, Cairns, Hangzhou, Kagoshima, and Sendai.
October 2005: Offering of complimentary language lessons by Berlitz
Since October 2005, Singapore Airlines has offered complimentary language lessons by Berlitz.
December 2005: Offering of live text-news feeds
Starting December 2005, Singapore Airlines offered live text-news feeds.
2005: AirAsia Accusation
In 2005, AirAsia accused Singapore Airlines of double standards, claiming that the Government of Singapore attempted to keep it out of the Singapore market.
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. 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: Cabin and In-Flight Service Upgrades Announced
On 17 October 2006, Singapore Airlines announced major upgrades to its cabin and in-flight service costing the airline approximately S$570 million.
December 2006: Discontinuation of live television streaming on Connexion
In December 2006, live television streaming was discontinued on Connexion, an in-flight Internet service by Boeing.
2007: Singapore-Kuala Lumpur Route Liberalisation
In 2007 Singapore Airlines welcomed the liberalisation of the Singapore-Kuala Lumpur route.
2007: Introduction of a new KrisWorld
In 2007, a new KrisWorld based on Red Hat Enterprise Linux was introduced, featuring a new interface, additional programming and audio and video on demand as standard. Widescreen personal video systems were installed 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. The new KrisWorld is available on Airbus A330, Airbus A380 and Boeing 777-300ER.
December 2008: Flights Per Day to Kuala Lumpur
From 1 December 2008 when the Singapore-Kuala Lumpur route was completely opened, Singapore Airlines operated four flights per day, while its sister airline SilkAir also operated four flights per day.
July 2009: Singapore Airlines introduced similar design on board the Boeing 777 aircraft
In July 2009, Singapore Airlines introduced a similar design on board the Boeing 777 aircraft through its ongoing cabin retrofit program. The Boeing 777–300 was the first model to undergo refit and had introduced the product on the Singapore–Sydney route on 22 July 2009. They are equipped with slightly smaller 9-inch screens and AVOD in each seat. The seats are installed onboard all B777-200ERs and all but one B777-200.
2009: Route Discontinuations
In 2009, Singapore Airlines discontinued flights to Vancouver and Amritsar.
2010: Singapore Airlines Published a Cookbook
In 2010, Singapore Airlines published a cookbook titled Above & Beyond: A Collection of Recipes from the Singapore Airlines Culinary Panel.
August 2012: Launch of in-flight connectivity
In August 2012, Singapore Airlines launched its in-flight connectivity. Passengers are now able to make phone calls, send text messages and access the Internet for a fee. The new eX3 systems are unveiled alongside the new cabin product and are available on the Airbus A350-900 and refitted B777-300ER aircraft.
July 2013: Redesign of economy class seat unveiled
On 9 July 2013, Singapore Airlines unveiled a redesign of the economy class seat alongside new first and business class products. The new seat features include 32-inch of legroom, slimmer seats, an adjustable headrest, and an 11.1-inch touch-screen inflight entertainment system with new KrisWorld software. The new seats were originally announced to be available exclusively onboard factory-fresh Airbus A350-900 and refitted Boeing 777-300ER.
October 2013: Nonstop Flights to Los Angeles Terminated
On 20 October 2013, Singapore Airlines terminated its nonstop service to Los Angeles. The airline continues to serve Los Angeles from Singapore via Tokyo-Narita.
November 2013: Nonstop Flights to Newark Terminated
On 23 November 2013, Singapore Airlines terminated its nonstop service to Newark in favor of a Singapore-New York JFK route via Frankfurt.
2013: Retirement of A340-500 aircraft
A340-500 aircraft were formerly employed to serve this route until their retirement in 2013.
October 2015: Plans to Resume World's Longest 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, a 15,300 km, 19-hour route that the airline had dropped in 2013.
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 Route Discontinuation
In 2016, Singapore Airlines discontinued flights to São Paulo.
November 2017: New A380 business-class seats unveiled
In November 2017, Singapore Airlines unveiled new A380 business-class seats, which were progressively rolled out on the Airbus A380-800 fleet, offering 78 Business class seats in a 1-2-1 configuration with fully flat beds and adjustable dividers.
December 2017: New Cabin Products Debut in Sydney
On 18 December 2017, Sydney was the first city served with the new Airbus A380-800 cabin 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: Capital Express Route Change
Until May 2018, Singapore Airlines operated flights between Singapore and Wellington, New Zealand via Canberra. The intermediate stop for the Capital Express route was then changed to Melbourne.
October 2018: Resumption of Non-Stop Flights to Newark
Singapore Airlines resumed non-stop flights to Newark from 11 October 2018.
November 2018: Resumption of Non-Stop Flights to Los Angeles
Singapore Airlines resumed non-stop flights to Los Angeles from 2 November 2018.
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, compromising users' privacy and contravening the rules of the iOS App Store.
March 2020: Temasek Holdings Ownership
As of 31 March 2020, Temasek Holdings, the Singapore government's investment company, held 55% of the voting stock in Singapore Airlines.
March 2020: Suspension of Singapore to New York Route
In March 2020, Singapore Airlines suspended the Singapore to New York route due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
November 2020: Relaunch of Nonstop Flights to New York
On 9 November 2020, Singapore Airlines relaunched the nonstop flights between Changi Airport and New York to John F. Kennedy International Airport, three times a week.
2020: Retrofitting of New Products Completed
By 2020, the existing A380 fleet had these new products retrofitted.
2020: Capital Express Route Suspension
In 2020, the Capital Express route was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
March 2021: Re-Introduction of Boeing 737
Singapore Airlines operated 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 to New York Route
In March 2022, Singapore Airlines resumed the Singapore to New York route.
2023: Singapore Airlines won the award of the Best Airline in the World by Skytrax
In 2023, Singapore Airlines won the award of the Best Airline in the World by Skytrax. Singapore Airlines was voted 2024 Best Airline in the World by Skytrax for the second consecutive time, having won the same award in 2023.
June 2024: Singapore Airlines voted 2024 Best Airline in the World by Skytrax
On 24 June 2024, Singapore Airlines was voted 2024 Best Airline in the World by Skytrax for the second consecutive time, having won the same award in 2023. Apart for winning the best airline, Singapore Airlines also scooped the top awards for Best Cabin Staff and Best First Class in World. They also won the Best Airline in Asia in the same award ceremony.
November 2024: Singapore Airlines to invest in new seats in long-haul aircraft
In November 2024, Singapore Airlines pledged to invest S$1.1 billion ($828 million) to overhaul the seats in its long-haul aircraft, including all-new first- and business-class product.
November 2024: Supply Chain Issues Impact
In November 2024, Singapore Airlines reported that it was impacted by widespread supply-chain issues in the aviation industry. They estimated they would have five fewer aircraft than planned by the end of the 2024 fiscal year, with 204 jets in the fleet, due to delivery delays.
January 2025: SIA named the top airline on Fortune’s list of the world’s most admired companies
On 29 January 2025, SIA was named the top airline, securing the 28th position on Fortune’s list of the world’s most admired companies.
February 2025: Aircraft in Singapore Airlines Fleet
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 the world's second most admired airline, following Delta Air Lines.
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