Singapore Airlines recently announced plans to introduce all-new front-of-the-aircraft cabins across its fleet of seven Airbus A350-900ULR (ultra-long-haul) aircraft. With this aircraft, the airline, which is regularly ranked among the best airlines in the world, currently flies the world’s longest flight route between Singapore and New York at just under 19 hours and 9,585 flight miles. The aircraft will also be used for other long-haul flights from Singapore, including to Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle.

“The new first class and business class seat designs will incorporate thoughtful elements that push the boundaries of comfort, luxury and modernity,” Singapore Airlines CEO Goh Choon Phong said in a press release.

This will be the first time that first class seats will be available on the ULR aircraft and is scheduled to be introduced in 2027. The airline hasn’t said exactly what these new seats will look like, but it has released a sneak peek rendering showing a suite that spans at least three windows and is equipped with a widescreen TV and a lounge chair. (In Singapore there are first class aircraft with Boeing 777-3000ER and Airbus A380, the latter have suites with two single beds and separate armchairs.)

Courtesy of Singapore Airlines

The airline is also keeping a low profile when it comes to the newly designed business class. However, a look at a rendering shows sliding doors for privacy, something missing from the airline’s current business class seats and a growing trend in the airline industry. (In recent years, Air France, American Airlines and Turkish Airlines, among others, have added or announced new business class seats with doors.)

“Over the last six years, we have fully engaged customers and stakeholders in the design of our next-generation long-haul cabin products, anticipating their evolving preferences and expectations down to the smallest detail,” said Goh.

Currently, ULR aircraft have 67 business class seats and 94 premium economy seats (there are no economy seats, partly for the comfort of passengers on almost all-day flights and partly because it allows weight to be saved, an important factor on long flights). Travel). After the conversion, the aircraft will have 4 first class suites, 70 business class seats and 58 premium economy seats.

In addition to the A350-900ULR, Singapore Airlines is also renewing 34 of its long-haul Airbus A350-900s with 42 new business class seats, 24 premium economy seats and 192 economy seats. (The latter two aircraft, the airline said, would be “renewed to improve the travel experience for customers,” but did not provide further details on what that would look like.) These aircraft will enter service in 2026.

Singapore Airlines said the new seat designs will match those of its future Boeing 777-9s. However, given that the 777 aircraft have experienced repeated delays and are not expected to enter commercial service until 2026, the A350s could potentially be the first opportunity for travelers to experience the new seats when it comes to Boeing aircraft shifts continue to occur.

In recent years, airlines have invested heavily in redesigning and expanding their premium cabins, from Emirates expanding its premium economy offering to United upgrading its international business class seats to Polaris.

However, many airlines have eliminated first class cabins on long-haul flights in favor of additional business class seats. American Airlines, for example, is in the process of eliminating first-class seats on all international flights and replacing them with more business-class seats because, according to the airline, passengers are less willing to spend money on first class. Business Class and Premium Economy, on the other hand, strike a balance between luxury and profitability.

When asked why Singapore Airlines introduced First Class when other airlines refrained from doing so, James Boyd, vice president of public relations in the Americas, told Afar: “In response to continued demand, we are introducing First Class to our nonstop flights from the United States USA. “We see great demand for premium air travel, especially on the longest flights in the world.”