Singapore Airlines has taken delivery of 2 new wide-body aircraft recently, though a higher than usual number of the existing fleet are currently in the hangar.
Here’s our latest update for the Singapore Airlines fleet of passenger aircraft in July 2024, which since our last article has been bolstered by the arrival of two brand new aircraft, with a further six set to arrive over the next nine months.
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This will include new Boeing 737-8 MAX and Boeing 787-10 deliveries, plus the final Airbus A350 passenger aircraft to join the airline.
SIA’s active passenger fleet now stands at 131 aircraft, one less than our March 2024 update, due to additional jets requiring maintenance downtime at the time of writing.
In total SIA is still around 20 aircraft short of its pre-COVID fleet, when you consider that SilkAir has now been fully merged into the mainline operation.
Here’s our deep-dive into the latest fleet situation.
Fleet totals
The following table summarises the Singapore Airlines passenger fleet totals as of 7th July 2024.
| CAAS Register (1 Jul ’24): | 148 |
| Recently delivered: | 1 |
| For disposal: | -5 |
| In Service: | 144 |
| In maintenance: | -13 |
| Active: | 131 |
The official registered aircraft data in combination with confirmed retirement announcements and analysis of actual flight movements over the last few weeks allows us to determine the actual ‘in service’ fleet (available to the airline) of 144 planes at 7th July 2024, 131 of which were recently active.
Click here to see the official CAAS list of registered aircraft in Singapore at 1st July 2024.
SIA Passenger Fleet at 7th July 2024
The following table shows the Singapore Airlines fleet, including how many of each aircraft type are legally registered (‘Registered’), available to the airline (‘In Service’), and currently operating revenue passenger flights (‘Active’).
| Type | Registered | In Service | Active |
A350-900 LH | 33 | 33 | 32 |
| A350-900 MH | 24 | 24 | 23 |
| A350-900 ULR | 7 | 7 | 6 |
A380-800 | 13 | 12 | 10 |
737-800 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
737-8 MAX | 16 | 16 | 16 |
777-300ER | 26 | 22 | 18 |
787-10 | 23 | 23 | 19 |
| Total | 149 | 144 | 131 |
Four of the airline’s remaining registered Boeing 777-300ERs will not be returning to the fleet, in addition to one older Airbus A380, though these aircraft are still formally registered to the carrier. They are therefore excluded from the ‘In Service’ column.
This reflects an available fleet of 144 aircraft, plus future deliveries of Airbus A350s, Boeing 737-8 MAXs, Boeing 787-10s and Boeing 777-9s still on order.
Average fleet age
Singapore Airlines likes to maintain a young fleet, typically retaining its passenger aircraft until they are around 15 years old, a decade earlier than most carriers will plan such retirements.
The good news is that the current in-service fleet boasts an average age of only 7.1 years as of 7th July 2024. Here’s how it looks by fleet.
| Type | Average Age |
| A350-900 LH | 5.9 years |
| A350-900 MH | 4.4 years |
| A350-900 ULR | 5.9 years |
| A380-800 | 10.4 years |
| 737-800 | 9.4 years |
| 737-8 MAX | 5.1 years |
| 777-300ER | 14.2 years |
| 787-10 | 4.3 years |
| All Types | 7.1 years |
The oldest passenger aircraft in the fleet is 9V-SWB, a Boeing 777-300ER, which is 17.7 years old.
The Boeing 777-300ER fleet will continue to be the ‘achilles heel’ for the airline in terms of fleet age, as these aircraft are retained much longer than originally intended, due to well-documented Boeing 777-9 delivery delays.
It seems likely that the first of 31 Boeing 777-9s SIA has on order won’t arrive until mid-2026 at the earliest, by which time the 777-300ER fleet will have an average age of over 16 years and 9V-SWB will be close to 20 years old.
Two new aircraft have been delivered
Since our last fleet update in March 2024, Singapore Airlines has taken delivery of two brand new wide-body aircraft, an Airbus A350 Long Haul and a Boeing 787-10.
Singapore Airlines Airbus A350 LH
Recent deliveries
| Reg. | Delivery | Service Entry |
| 9V-SJH | 20 Apr 2024 | 25 Apr 2024 (SQ297 SIN-CHC) |
Singapore Airlines Boeing 787-10
Recent deliveries
| Reg. | Delivery | Service Entry |
| 9V-SCY | 1 Jul 2024 | 4 Jul 2024 (SQ402 SIN-DEL) |
These aircraft have now both entered regular revenue service, bringing the Airbus A350 Long Haul fleet to 33 and the Boeing 787-10 fleet to 23.
One final Airbus A350 Long Haul delivery is due later this year, the last passenger A350 to join the carrier, while there are eight more Boeing 787-10 deliveries still to come, three of which will arrive by the end of March 2025.
What happened to 9V-SCQ?
The SIA Boeing 787-10 fleet continues to grow sans-9V-SCQ, a three-year-old aircraft that’s still stuck in the USA with Boeing awaiting its somewhat out-of-sequence delivery.
The aircraft was originally due for delivery to Singapore Airlines in the second half of 2020, but production was pushed back due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
9V-SCQ eventually made its first flight on 11th January 2021, and since then its movements have been as follows:
- Flown to Victorville, California for storage on 12th January 2021 (one day after its first flight)
- Flown to San Antonio, Texas on 1st March 2023 (over two years later)
- Flown to Seattle on 6th December 2023 (over nine months later)
- Engine run and taxi check in Seattle on 6th June 2024 (over six months later)
- Flown to Portland, Washington on 7th June 2024, for repainting.
It seems like the aircraft’s paint job is in need of a touch-up following such a long period in storage, but hopefully once that is complete this can then be one of the three Boeing 787-10s due for delivery to Singapore Airlines during this financial year.
A350 ULR fleet maintenance underway
As we reported earlier this year, all seven of SIA’s Airbus A350 ULR aircraft are heading to the hangar for regular checks as they reach six years of age.
It’s a process that will continue until January 2025, one aircraft at a time, and the first of the bunch (9V-SGA) is currently having that work completed here in Singapore.
Unfortunately Singapore Airlines confirmed to us that a rumoured refit of these aircraft with the latest Business Class cabin products designed for the carrier’s Boeing 777-9 aircraft (and signed off three years ago!), sadly won’t be part of the project.
That’s a big shame and something of a missed opportunity in our view, as the airline seems determined to hold back all four new cabin product designs it has already completed for a grand debut on its indefinitely-delayed Boeing 777-9s.
| SIA: ‘No retrofit’ planned for A350 ULR jets MISSED OPPORTUNITY? |
| SIA: ‘No retrofit’ planned for A350 ULR jets MISSED OPPORTUNITY? |
Both the new Business Class and the new Premium Economy Class seats could have been showcased on these aircraft this year, giving SIA some much-needed positive new product publicity while so many new seats are being rolled out by competitors including JAL, Malaysia Airlines, Emirates and Qantas.
One more Boeing 777-300ER retained in the fleet
Back in 2023 Singapore Airlines was only intending to retain 21 aircraft in its Boeing 777-300ER fleet effective from this year, but there are now 22 of the type remaining, all of which are now in service or in temporary maintenance.
In May 2023, Singapore Airlines CEO Goh Choon Phong confirmed that the airline would be extending the operational lifespan of its Boeing 777-300ERs to compensate for the fleet shortfall resulting from ongoing Boeing 777-9 delivery delays.
Because of a delay in the 777-9s, we do have to look at extending the use of some of the aircraft that we have, particularly the older 777-300ERs.
Goh Choon Phong, CEO, Singapore Airlines
17th May 2023
The decision to retain an additional 22nd aircraft in this fleet compared to the original plan appears to be part of this solution.
Aside from the confirmed removal of 9V-SWA, -SWD, SWE and -SWF from the fleet already, Mainly Miles understands that 9V-SWN will also not be returning to service.
Fleet activity by registration
Here’s a breakdown of the SIA fleet of passenger aircraft based on recent revenue flight activity, from an analysis conducted on 7th July 2024.
Airbus A350s
All of SIA’s 33 Airbus A350-900 Long Haul aircraft in the fleet were active as of July 2024, except 9V-SMC which is in maintenance.
 | |||
| Aircraft | Age (years) | Last flew | Days ago |
| 9V-SMA | 8.4 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SMB | 8.3 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SMC | 8.2 | 21 Jun 24 | 16 |
| 9V-SMD | 8.1 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SME | 8.0 | 4 Jul 24 | 3 |
| 9V-SMF | 7.8 | 6 Jul 24 | 1 |
| 9V-SMG | 7.6 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SMH | 7.6 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SMI | 7.6 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SMJ | 7.6 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SMK | 7.4 | 6 Jul 24 | 1 |
| 9V-SML | 7.3 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SMM | 7.2 | 6 Jul 24 | 1 |
| 9V-SMN | 7.2 | 6 Jul 24 | 1 |
| 9V-SMO | 7.1 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SMP | 7.1 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SMQ | 7.0 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SMR | 6.8 | 6 Jul 24 | 1 |
| 9V-SMS | 6.7 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SMT | 6.6 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SMU | 6.5 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SMV | 5.0 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SMW | 4.9 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SMY | 4.9 | 6 Jul 24 | 1 |
| 9V-SMZ | 4.7 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SJA | 4.7 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SJB | 3.1 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SJC | 2.1 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SJD | 2.0 | 6 Jul 24 | 1 |
| 9V-SJE | 3.1 | 6 Jul 24 | 1 |
| 9V-SJF | 1.4 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SJG | 1.0 | 6 Jul 24 | 1 |
| 9V-SJH | 0.3 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
‘Last flew’ dates relate to the aircraft’s most recent revenue flight.
All but one of the airline’s 24 Airbus A350-900 Medium Haul aircraft were also flying recently, with 9V-SHU in maintenance.
| |||
| Aircraft | Age (years) | Last flew | Days ago |
| 9V-SHA | 5.6 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SHB | 5.6 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SHC | 5.5 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SHD | 5.4 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SHE | 5.3 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SHF | 5.3 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SHG | 5.2 | 6 Jul 24 | 1 |
| 9V-SHH | 5.2 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SHI | 5.1 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SHJ | 5.0 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SHK | 4.7 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SHL | 4.6 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SHM | 4.5 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SHN | 4.5 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SHO | 4.4 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SHP | 3.9 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SHQ | 3.9 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SHR | 3.8 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SHS | 3.8 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SHT | 3.6 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SHU | 3.3 | 17 Jun 24 | 20 |
| 9V-SHV | 3.4 | 28 Jun 24 | 9 |
| 9V-SHW | 2.6 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SHY | 2.3 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
‘Last flew’ dates relate to the aircraft’s most recent revenue flight.
Six of the airline’s seven Airbus A350-900 ULR aircraft are in service, with 9V-SGA undergoing its maintenance check over the last 50 days, which will also affect the remaining six aircraft in the fleet progressively between now and January 2025 as mentioned above.
| |||
| Aircraft | Age (years) | Last flew | Days ago |
| 9V-SGA | 6.0 | 18 May 24 | 50 |
| 9V-SGB | 5.9 | 6 Jul 24 | 1 |
| 9V-SGC | 5.9 | 5 Jul 24 | 2 |
| 9V-SGD | 5.7 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SGE | 6.2 | 5 Jul 24 | 2 |
| 9V-SGF | 5.7 | 6 Jul 24 | 1 |
| 9V-SGG | 5.6 | 6 Jul 24 | 1 |
‘Last flew’ dates relate to the aircraft’s most recent revenue flight.
Airbus A380s
A total of 10 SIA Airbus A380s are currently in regular service, with two aircraft – 9V-SKQ and 9V-SKY -undergoing maintenance at Changi.
 | |||
| Aircraft | Age (years) | Last flew | Days ago |
| 9V-SKF | 16.4 | 24 Mar 20 | 1,566 |
| 9V-SKM | 13.8 | 6 Jul 24 | 1 |
| 9V-SKN | 13.7 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SKP | 13.1 | 5 Jul 24 | 2 |
| 9V-SKQ | 12.8 | 29 Mar 24 | 100 |
| 9V-SKR | 12.8 | 6 Jul 24 | 1 |
| 9V-SKS | 12.6 | 6 Jul 24 | 1 |
| 9V-SKT | 12.4 | 6 Jul 24 | 1 |
| 9V-SKU | 7.3 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SKV | 7.1 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SKW | 6.8 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SKY | 6.5 | 12 Jun 24 | 25 |
| 9V-SKZ | 6.4 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
‘Last flew’ dates relate to the aircraft’s most recent revenue flight.
9V-SKF is still parked at Changi awaiting its fate – sadly it will be broken up and used only for spare parts.
Boeing 737-800s
All of the seven ex-SilkAir Boeing 737-800s that moved across to Singapore Airlines are in regular service.
 | |||
| Aircraft | Age (years) | Last flew | Days ago |
| 9V-MGC | 10.2 | 6 Jul 24 | 1 |
| 9V-MGD | 10.2 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-MGE | 10.0 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-MGK | 9.1 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-MGL | 8.9 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-MGM | 8.8 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-MGN | 8.8 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
‘Last flew’ dates relate to the aircraft’s most recent revenue flight.
As we reported earlier this year, the relatively unpopular Boeing 737-800 fleet will start to wind down significantly from September this year, and we can finally say goodbye to recliner Business Class seats on the network by the end of 2025.
Boeing 737-8 MAX
All 16 of SIA’s Boeing 737-8 MAX aircraft are in regular service.
 | |||
| Aircraft | Age (years) | Last flew | Days ago |
| 9V-MBA | 6.8 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-MBB | 6.7 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-MBC | 6.6 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-MBD | 6.3 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-MBE | 6.2 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-MBF | 5.4 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-MBG | 5.3 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-MBH | 5.2 | 6 Jul 24 | 1 |
| 9V-MBI | 5.1 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-MBJ | 5.0 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-MBK | 4.9 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-MBL | 4.8 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-MBM | 4.6 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-MBN | 4.6 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-MBO | 2.0 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-MBP | 1.7 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
‘Last flew’ dates relate to the aircraft’s most recent revenue flight.
Boeing 777-300ERs
18 of SIA’s 26 registered Boeing 777-300ERs were active over the last two weeks.
Four aircraft are stored at Changi, and will not be entering service again 9V-SWD, -SWE, -SWF and -SWN.
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Additionally, four aircraft are in maintenance at Changi, 9V-SWK, 9V-SWL, -SWM and -SWQ.
 | |||
| Aircraft | Age (years) | Last flew | Days ago |
| 9V-SWB | 17.7 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SWD | 17.6 | 19 Mar 20 | 1,571 |
| 9V-SWE | 17.6 | 1 Feb 21 | 1,252 |
| 9V-SWF | 17.6 | 28 Sep 20 | 1,378 |
| 9V-SWG | 17.6 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SWH | 17.4 | 6 Jul 24 | 1 |
| 9V-SWI | 17.4 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SWJ | 17.3 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SWK | 17.1 | 29 Apr 24 | 69 |
| 9V-SWL | 16.7 | 14 May 24 | 54 |
| 9V-SWM | 16.4 | 20 May 24 | 48 |
| 9V-SWN | 16.3 | 24 Dec 21 | 926 |
| 9V-SWO | 16.3 | 6 Jul 24 | 1 |
| 9V-SWP | 16.3 | 4 Jul 24 | 3 |
| 9V-SWQ | 16.2 | 29 May 24 | 39 |
| 9V-SWR | 16.2 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SWS | 16.1 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SWT | 15.5 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SWU | 11.0 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SWV | 10.9 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SWW | 10.4 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SWY | 9.7 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SWZ | 9.5 | 6 Jul 24 | 1 |
| 9V-SNA | 9.4 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SNB | 8.8 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SNC | 8.7 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
‘Last flew’ dates relate to the aircraft’s most recent revenue flight.
9V-SWM is the aircraft that was involved in the severe turbulence incident over Myanmar in May 2024. The aircraft flew back to Singapore empty six days after the incident, on 26th May 2024, but has yet to re-enter service with the carrier.
Boeing 787-10s
19 of SIA’s Boeing 787-10s are currently active, with the four oldest members of the fleet 9V-SCA, -SCB, -SCC and -SCD in maintenance.
 | |||
| Aircraft | Age (years) | Last flew | Days ago |
| 9V-SCA | 6.4 | 20 Jun 24 | 17 |
| 9V-SCB | 6.3 | 20 Jun 24 | 17 |
| 9V-SCC | 6.3 | 21 May 24 | 47 |
| 9V-SCD | 6.2 | 12 Jun 24 | 25 |
| 9V-SCE | 6.1 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SCF | 6.1 | 4 Jul 24 | 3 |
| 9V-SCG | 7.1 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SCH | 7.3 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SCI | 5.4 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SCJ | 5.2 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SCK | 5.2 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SCL | 5.1 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SCM | 5.0 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SCN | 4.9 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SCO | 4.6 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SCP | 4.3 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SCR | 3.4 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SCS | 1.3 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SCT | 1.2 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SCU | 0.9 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SCV | 0.7 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SCW | 0.6 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
| 9V-SCY | 0.1 | 7 Jul 24 | 0 |
‘Last flew’ dates relate to the aircraft’s most recent revenue flight.
Upcoming deliveries
Singapore Airlines will take delivery of a further three Boeing 787-10s by the end of March 2025, in addition to two Boeing 737-8 MAX aircraft and the final passenger Airbus A350 for SIA, 9V-SJI, which is due in Q3 this year.
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Here’s how the latest Singapore Airlines outstanding orders for fleet modernisation and replacement looks, including for freighter aircraft.
Delivery of Boeing 777-9s, which will sport the airline’s latest Suites and Business Class products, plus all-new Premium Economy and Economy Class seats, has slipped to 2025 at the earliest.
Frankly 2026 looks like a more realistic prospect, now that SIA has been issued its initial line production slots, and certification delays continue to build.
What about Scoot?
Here’s how Scoot’s outstanding order book looks, as of July 2024.
The low-cost carrier brought its first pair of Embraer E190-E2 regional jets into service in May 2024, with services to Hat Yai, Krabi, Koh Samui, Miri, Kuantan and Sibu now on the roster.
It will be interesting to see where Scoot deploys its remaining seven E190 jets, following three further deliveries this year, followed by the last four in 2025.
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Summary
Singapore Airlines has 144 passenger aircraft in its fleet as of 7th July 2024, 131 of which are active due to a slightly higher than usual number of jets undergoing maintenance.
New deliveries since our last update comprise an Airbus A350 Long Haul and a Boeing 787-10.
In the months ahead we can look forward to the final passenger Airbus A350 delivery for the airline, plus three more Boeing 787-10s and a pair of 737 MAX aircraft too.
Sadly the future flagship Boeing 777-9s won’t be arriving until 2026 at the earliest, and SIA seems determined to hold back its latest long-haul cabin products until then, shunning the opportunity to reveal at least the new Business Class seats on Airbus A350 ULRs, as they all undergo routine hangar time this year.
(Cover Photo: Shutterstock)
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