History of Singapore Airlines in Timeline

Singapore Airlines is the flag carrier of Singapore, operating from its hub at Changi Airport. Recognized as a leading airline, it holds a 5-star rating and has been named the world's best airline by Skytrax multiple times. Its fleet consists of Airbus and Boeing aircraft, including the A350-900, A380, 737 MAX 8, 737-800, 747-400 Freighter, 777-300ER, and 787-10. Singapore Airlines has been a member of the Star Alliance since April 2000.

May 1966: Malaysian Airways became Malaysia–Singapore Airlines

In May 1966, Malaysian Airways (MAL) was renamed Malaysia–Singapore Airlines (MSA).

1987: Minor tweak in Logo

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

1992: Toronto Discontinued

In 1992, Singapore Airlines discontinued service to Toronto due to a petition from Air Canada.

1997: Discontinued Routes

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

1997: Introduction of KrisWorld In-Flight Entertainment System

In 1997, KrisWorld, Singapore Airlines' in-flight entertainment system, was introduced on Boeing 747–400, Airbus A310-300, Airbus A340-300 and Boeing 777–200 aircraft, superseding the older Thales systems.

April 2000: Joined Star Alliance

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

2002: Re-branding of KrisWorld System

In 2002, Singapore Airlines introduced a re-branding of the KrisWorld system named Enhanced KrisWorld, which featured additional movies, television programming, music and games and was installed on Boeing 747-400 and selected Boeing 777-200 aircraft.

2003: Suspension of Flights due to SARS

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

October 2005: Introduction of Complimentary Language Lessons

In October 2005, Singapore Airlines began offering complimentary language lessons by Berlitz.

December 2005: Introduction of Live Text-News Feeds

Starting in December 2005, Singapore Airlines began offering live text-news feeds.

2005: AirAsia Accusation

In 2005, AirAsia accused Singapore Airlines of double standards.

2005: Livery Minor Update

In 2005, the Singapore Airlines livery was updated with enlarged wording and logo shifted closer to the front of the aircraft.

October 2006: Major Upgrades to Cabin and In-Flight Service Announced

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

December 2006: Discontinuation of Live Television Streaming on Connexion

In December 2006, live television streaming was discontinued on Connexion by Boeing, an in-flight Internet service.

December 2006: Launch of First Boeing 777-300ER

On 5 December 2006, the first Boeing 777-300ER was launched with Singapore Airlines between Singapore and Paris.

October 2007: Engine Logos Removed

Since October 2007, the engine logos were also subsequently removed.

2007: Introduction of New KrisWorld System

In 2007, Singapore Airlines introduced a new KrisWorld system based on Red Hat Enterprise Linux, featuring a new interface, additional programming, audio and video on demand, and widescreen personal video systems in all cabins. The new KrisWorld is available on Airbus A330, Airbus A380 and Boeing 777-300ER.

2007: Singapore-Kuala Lumpur route liberalisation

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

March 2008: International Traffic

In March 2008, Singapore Airlines accounted for 11.0% of all international traffic into and out of Australia.

September 2008: Share capacity

As of 22 September 2008, Singapore Airline's capacity share on the route 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: Flights operated by Singapore Airlines

Until 1 December 2008, Singapore Airlines operated six flights per day. Singapore Airlines operated four flights per day plans from 1 December 2008 when the route was completely opened, while its sister airline SilkAir also operated four flights per day.

July 2009: Introduction of New Cabin Design on Boeing 777 Aircraft

In July 2009, Singapore Airlines introduced a new cabin design on board the Boeing 777 aircraft through its ongoing cabin retrofit program. On 22 July 2009, the Boeing 777–300 was the first model to undergo refit and introduced the product on the Singapore–Sydney route. The aircraft were equipped with slightly smaller 9-inch screens and AVOD in each seat.

2009: Vancouver and Amritsar Discontinued

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

2010: Publication of Cookbook

In 2010, Singapore Airlines published a cookbook titled 'Above & Beyond: A Collection of Recipes from the Singapore Airlines Culinary Panel'.

October 2011: Upper Deck Dedicated to Business Class

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

August 2012: Launch of In-Flight Connectivity and New KrisWorld Entertainment System

In August 2012, Singapore Airlines launched its in-flight connectivity and unveiled a $400 million new KrisWorld entertainment system from Panasonic Avionics featuring larger screens, higher resolution, wide touch-screen controllers, new software, and in-flight connectivity. Passengers could make phone calls, send text messages, and access the Internet for a fee.

July 2013: Unveiling of Redesigned Economy Class Seat

On 9 July 2013, Singapore Airlines unveiled a redesign of the economy class seat along with new first and business class products, including features like 32-inch legroom, slimmer seats, adjustable headrests, and an 11.1-inch touch-screen inflight entertainment system with KrisWorld software.

July 2013: Release of New Cabin Products

On 9 July 2013, Singapore Airlines, released new cabin products for the first, business, and economy classes that debuted on the carrier's new Boeing 777-300ERs with London's Heathrow Airport as their maiden route.

July 2013: Unveiling of Current Business Class Version

On 9 July 2013, the current version of the Business Class was unveiled.

October 2013: Termination of Nonstop Service to Los Angeles

On October 2013, Singapore Airlines terminated its nonstop flights from Singapore to Los Angeles with Airbus A340-500 aircraft, although the airline continues to serve Los Angeles via Tokyo-Narita.

November 2013: Termination of Nonstop Service to Newark

On November 2013, Singapore Airlines terminated its nonstop flights from Singapore to Newark with Airbus A340-500 aircraft, replacing it with a Singapore-New York JFK route via Frankfurt.

2013: Dropped New York Flights

In 2013, the airline had dropped New York Flights.

October 2015: Plans to Resume Non-Stop Flights Between Singapore and 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

On 23 October 2016, Singapore Airlines resumed non-stop flights from Singapore to San Francisco using the A350-900 aircraft.

2016: São Paulo Discontinued

In 2016, Singapore Airlines discontinued flights to São Paulo.

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

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

November 2017: Unveiling of New A380 Business-Class Seats

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 Cabin Products

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

March 2018: Unveiling of New Regional Business Class

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

In May 2018, Singapore Airlines changed the intermediate stop for its Singapore to Wellington, New Zealand route from Canberra to Melbourne, known as the Capital Express.

October 2018: Resumption of Non-Stop Flights to Newark

From 11 October 2018, Singapore Airlines resumed non-stop flights to Newark with the delivery of the Airbus A350-900ULRs.

October 2018: Resumption of Singapore-New York Route

On 18 October 2018, SIA resumed the Singapore-New York route following the acquisition of new Airbus A350-900ULR aircraft.

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: Report on Privacy Concerns with Singapore Airlines Mobile App

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 users' informed consent.

2019: Skytrax World's Best Airline Cabin Crew 2019

In 2019, Singapore Airlines was voted as the Skytrax World's Best Airline Cabin Crew. The airline also achieved second and fourth positions as the World's Best Airlines and World's Cleanest Airlines, respectively.

March 2020: Temasek Holdings Ownership

As of March 2020, Singapore Airlines is majority-owned by Temasek Holdings, the Singapore government's investment company, which holds 55% of voting stock.

March 2020: Suspension of Singapore-New York Route

In March 2020, the Singapore-New York route was suspended 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.

2020: Capital Express Route suspended due to COVID-19

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

2020: Retrofitting of Existing A380 Fleet

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

March 2021: Second Re-Introduction of 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 Route

In March 2022, Singapore Airlines resumed flights on the Singapore-New York route.

November 2022: Agreement with Singapore Airlines

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

2023: Flights to Australia

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

2023: Best Airline by Skytrax

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

June 2024: Singapore Airlines Voted 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, also winning the Best Cabin Staff, Best First Class in World, and Best Airline in Asia awards.

November 2024: Investment in Long-Haul Aircraft Overhaul

In November 2024, Singapore Airlines announced a S$1.1 billion investment to overhaul the seats in its long-haul aircraft, including all-new first- and business-class products.

November 2024: Impact of supply-chain issues

In November 2024, Singapore Airlines reported feeling the impact of the aviation industry's widespread supply-chain issues, estimating to have five fewer aircraft than planned by the end of the 2024 fiscal year.

November 2024: Merger of Vistara with Air India

On November 2024, the merger between Vistara and Air India officially took place, with Air India as the surviving company. Singapore Airlines now holds a 25.1% stake in the company.

January 2025: SIA Named Top Airline on Fortune’s List

On 29 January 2025, Singapore Airlines (SIA) was named the top airline, securing the 28th position on Fortune’s list of the world’s most admired companies.

February 2025: Aircraft registered in the 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 magazine published the annual World’s Most Admired Companies

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