For an airline with Singapore Airlines’ reputation, one detail of its long-haul Business Class has looked more dated every year: there is no door. Qatar, Virgin Atlantic, United and others have closed their business seats off from the aisle; SIA has not. The Singapore Airlines new Business Class, unveiled on 6 November 2026, finally adds a sliding door at every seat. It also brings companion beds in selected center pairs, a new bed with a memory-foam padded sheet, and a cabin designed by Designworks, a BMW Group company, with seats built by RECARO Aircraft Seating. It is scheduled to enter service from the second half of 2027 on the new Boeing 777-9 fleet and on 41 retrofitted A350-900 long-haul and A350-900ULR aircraft.
This is the seat most SIA long-haul premium passengers will actually sit in, and it sits at the heart of a more than S$2 billion investment in new long-haul cabins. Below I go through the confirmed details, the one number that decides which aircraft to choose, and how the seat compares with the best business cabins of 2026. The new First Class and the same-day lounge, Starlink and ground-service news are covered in separate articles.
Singapore Airlines New Business Class: Key Facts
- Announced: 6 November 2026, Singapore Airlines Note to Editors No. 19/26, “Singapore Airlines Introduces Next-Generation Long-Haul Cabin Products” (Business Class details in Annex B)
- Aircraft and seat counts: 54 seats on the Boeing 777-9, 42 on the A350-900 long-haul, 70 on the A350-900ULR; the new Business Class goes on the 777-9 and 41 retrofitted A350-900 long-haul and A350-900ULR aircraft
- Entry into service: “scheduled to enter service from the second half of 2027” and “progressively introduced”; no launch routes or first-aircraft dates have been named
- Layout: 1-2-1, with direct aisle access from every seat
- Dimensions: 50-inch pitch; seat width 24 inches on the 777-9 and 22 inches on the A350s; full-flat bed up to 24 inches wide and 79 inches long
- Privacy: a sliding door at every seat, plus electronically adjustable center dividers
- Companion beds: selected center seats become companion beds when the dividers are lowered
- Bed and finishes: full-grain leather with bespoke embroidery; new padded memory-foam bedsheet, also lumbar support in seat mode; redesigned tactile controls
- Table and footwell: the table stows at an angle to create a larger footwell; bi-fold table of 22 x 14.7 inches
- Screen and audio: 20-inch 4K (777-9) or 22-inch 4K OLED (A350s); noise-cancelling headphones or your own via Bluetooth
- Power and controls: wireless charging, universal AC; two USB-C plus one USB-A (777-9) or two fast-charging USB-C (A350s); smart controls save seat position
- Design and manufacture: Designworks, a BMW Group company (design); RECARO Aircraft Seating (seat)
- Quotes: Julia de Bono, CEO, Designworks, a BMW Group company: “We brought that same level of craft to Singapore Airlines’ new Business Class, applying principles from automotive design to create a space that feels elevated and timeless.” Dr Mark Hiller, CEO, RECARO Aircraft Seating: “The new Singapore Airlines Business Class seat offers a larger bed and ottoman, along with an innovative design that maximises space and comfort for customers.”
- Also on the 777-9 only: new Premium Economy (36 seats, 2-4-2, 40-inch pitch, 19 inches wide, up to 16-inch 4K screen) and Economy (204 seats, 3-4-3)
- Fares: not published; see below
Doors, Companion Beds and a Better Footwell
The door is the change regular SIA flyers will notice first. The current long-haul Business Class is famous for a wide seat, but it is open to the aisle, and on much of the fleet you sleep at an angle with your feet in a cubby beside the screen. The new seat adds a sliding door and rethinks the footwell: the table stows at an angle to free up foot space, and RECARO promises “a larger bed and ottoman”. A bed up to 79 inches long and 24 inches wide should end the diagonal sleeping position many SIA passengers have learned to live with.
The center pairs get the most interesting feature. Lower the electronically adjustable dividers and selected center seats become companion beds, which gives couples something close to the double-bed idea SIA is promoting in First, at a business class price. The wording matters: SIA says “selected” center seats, so not every middle pair will convert. On the 70-seat A350-900ULR, which flies the airline’s longest nonstop sectors, that is a real draw for couples.
The materials tell you what Designworks was asked to do. Full-grain premium leather with bespoke embroidery, a padded memory-foam bedsheet that doubles as lumbar support when you sit up, and redesigned tactile controls all have an automotive feel, and Julia de Bono says as much, describing “principles from automotive design” applied to the cabin. Smart controls that save your seat position follow the logic of a car that remembers its driver; whether they work well at 2 a.m., no announcement can tell you.
The Catch: 22 Inches on the A350s, 24 on the 777-9
Here is the number that should decide which aircraft you choose. On the 777-9, the new seat is 24 inches wide. On the A350s, it is 22 inches. Two inches sounds small, but over hours of sitting up, working and eating, it separates a seat that feels generous from one that feels fitted. The A350s get the better screen, a 22-inch 4K OLED against the 777-9’s 20-inch 4K, but the space is on the Boeing. If you have a choice, the 777-9 is the one to want.
The trouble is that the 777-9 is also the less certain of the two: Boeing’s delivery timeline for the type has moved more than once. SIA says only that the cabins will enter service “from the second half of 2027” and will be “progressively introduced”, with no launch route or first-aircraft date. Retrofitting 41 A350s also takes time, so old and new Business Class will fly side by side for a while, and booking an A350 will not guarantee the new seat.
Not everyone likes the look, either. On the same day, Paddle Your Own Kanoo ran the headline “Singapore Airlines Unveils What Must Be the Ugliest New Business Class Seat”. I’d rather judge the look from the seat than from renderings, but it shows the design is divisive. On a long flight, comfort and privacy count for more than the color of the shell, and there the new seat is a clear step forward.
Once routes are announced, check the aircraft type before you pay: the 777-9 has the 24-inch seat, the A350s the 22-inch seat with the larger OLED screen. On A350 routes, check the seat map, since old and new cabins will overlap, and couples should look for the center pairs that convert into companion beds.
How It Compares With the Competition
The benchmark is still Qatar Airways’ Qsuite, which put doors and convertible center pairs into business class years before most airlines followed. SIA’s new seat matches it on the essentials: a door, direct aisle access and center seats that become a shared bed. The 777-9 version’s 24-inch width will be a strong point in that comparison; the A350 version’s 22 inches less so.
Virgin Atlantic’s Retreat Suite on the A330neo and United’s Polaris Studio take a different approach, putting a few larger premium seats at the front of the business cabin, with space for a companion to join you. SIA’s answer for couples is the companion bed instead. Air India’s new Business Class is another useful reference, a long-haul carrier replacing an older seat with a modern one, and Fiji Airways’ A350 shows that even smaller long-haul carriers are moving their premium cabins on. Against that field, SIA’s new Business Class is catching up on doors rather than leading, but the bed size and materials could put it back near the top.
Singapore Airlines, First-Hand Context
I haven’t flown the new seat; it does not enter service until the second half of 2027 at the earliest, and this is a preview of the announcement, not a review. In my Etihad 787-9 business class review I gave 3.5 out of 5, marking it down for the wine. On my Emirates 777 business class flight from Malé, the food and amenity kit carried a dated cabin. The seat is only half the story.
SIA has been working on the other half. I have already covered its more than 100 new dishes and Christofle serviceware, which extend to Business Class, and the airline says Business Class passengers will get sleeper suits for the first time, alongside BYREDO amenity kits. Put those in a cabin with a door and a bed long enough to lie straight, and SIA’s long-haul Business Class could return to the top of the table. When it flies, I would hold out for the 777-9.
How Much Does It Cost?
Singapore Airlines has not published fares for the new Business Class, and it cannot yet be booked, because no routes or dates have been announced. When it launches, the seat will be sold on the airline’s own website and through booking sites, priced dynamically by date. For now, the links below search Singapore–London in business class, which gives you a baseline for what SIA’s current Business Class costs on a flagship long-haul route.
Flight prices do move between platforms. The same business class seat on the same date is not always the same price on the airline’s own site, Trip.com and Expedia: point-of-sale currency, consolidator fares and what is bundled into the ticket can shift the fare by a few percent — and occasionally by much more on premium cabins. So before I pay I run the same dates through Aviasales, which scans dozens of booking sites at once, then check Trip.com (often the sharpest on long-haul fares) and Expedia (strongest when you add a hotel to the same booking). One caveat: a ticket bought through a booking site is changed or refunded through that site, not the airline, so read the fare rules before you buy.
SIA’s new Business Class finally brings doors and companion beds to its long-haul fleet, and when it starts flying, the 24-inch seat on the 777-9 is the version to book.
Photos © Singapore Airlines
This preview is based on official announcements — I haven’t flown the Singapore Airlines new Business Class yet. Read more about how I review or visit my Work With Me page.
This article contains affiliate links. If you book through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Read my full disclosure policy.
