Singapore Airlines has revealed the breakdown of its Airbus A350 cabins ahead of the first aircraft's delivery in January 2016.
The A350 will carry 253 passengers split between business class, premium economy and economy.
Business class will be divided into two cabins...
... and feature the same seats as SQ's latest Boeing 777-300ER jets, which Australian Business Traveller currently rates as the world's best international business class.
There's also a compact premium economy cabin of 24 seats in a 2-4-2 arrangement.
While similar to the airline's recently-launched premium economy design (show below), expect to see what Singapore Airlines' executive Mr Tan Pee Teck says will be "a somewhat new seat... but the look and feel will be more or less the same."
The rest of Singapore Airlines' A350 is given over to 187 economy seats, again using the latest design and arranged in a 3-3-3- layout.
However, Singapore Airlines' ultra long-range version of the A350 – dubbed the A350-900ULR, and due to take wing from 2018 on non-stop flights to Los Angeles and New York – will feature a new generation of business class seats which the airline says "are currently under development."
Read more: Singapore Airlines to have 'all-new' seats on long-range A350
A Singapore Airlines executive has also indicated to Australian Business Traveller that later A350-900 deliveries could include a two-class version without premium economy and slated for medium-range flights where the ‘better than economy’ cabin has limited appeal.
Singapore Airlines will begin flying the Airbus A350 in early 2016 to Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta for the purposes of crew familiarisation with the all-new aircraft, with long-range services to Amsterdam from April 2016.
The airline expects to have at least three A350 jets in its fleet by April and 11 by years' end, out of a total of 63 orders and a further 20 options up its sleeve.
The Singaporean flag-carrier will be the fifth airline to fly the A350 following Qatar Airways, Vietnam Airlines, Finnair and Brazil’s TAM (part of the newly-branded LATAM Airlines) in December, while Asian neighbour and competitor Cathay Pacific will collect the keys to its first A350 in February 2016.
Read more: Singapore Airlines shares first details on A350
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David Flynn is the Editor-in-Chief of Executive Traveller and a bit of a travel tragic with a weakness for good coffee, shopping and lychee martinis.
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
13 Jan 2015
Total posts 580
Those premium economy seats must be much smaller than those offered on the A380...how can they squeeze 2-4-2 into a cabin which is much narrower that the A380. If the seats were the same width as the A380 premium, then it should be 2-3-2. I have a feeling the A350 premium seats will be about the same width as the current standard economy seats on the A380. Kind of a waste of money when your shoulder space is still crap.
Qantas
13 Jun 2015
Total posts 139
Agreed with you elchriss0. Cannot stand 2-4-2 in PE.
20 May 2015
Total posts 579
" I have a feeling the A350 premium seats will be about the same width as the current standard economy seats on the A380."
I think they'll be 18.5"... so a half-inch wider.
Admittedly not that impressive. But there's more pitch, more shoulder room and the upgraded service so it still has a good level of differentiation from Economy.
Overall jet capacity is 42J + 24 Premium + 187 Econ, so total capacity = 253... this is smaller than all of their current 777-200 configurations but then again their current 777-200s don't have PE. Plus they have older business class which may have been more dense.
I look forward to seeing what SQ manages to do with its new aircraft.
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
13 Jan 2015
Total posts 580
Actually SQ A380 economy is 19in wide...so arse space will be less. Also premium is 18.5in wide on 77W so how can it still be that wide on the A350 without reducing aisle width significantly. Obviously shoulder space will be more but how can they justify the massive price difference...almost double when you get different seat from the A380. I bet if they had a route with A350 and A380 they would charge the same for both aircraft even though the A380 premium seat/cabin is noticably better. Like what they do with their J class when flying both A333 with regional J and 77W with new J.
20 Apr 2015
Total posts 21
SQ just announced SIN-Dusseldorf !
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
05 Jun 2012
Total posts 54
I can hear the overweight people complaining on the smaller seats
13 Nov 2015
Total posts 49
Nice looking business class seats, very sleek!
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
05 Dec 2012
Total posts 2
the new a350 is a great plane. ay is using it in europe, trials on some routes before they bring to bangkok, hong kong, mainland china etc. did brussels to helsinki. 2-2-2 in business. width of seat- about same as the a380. great ife. plane bit noisier than expected.
Singapore Airlines - KrisFlyer
13 Dec 2014
Total posts 79
SIA have got an A350 microsite going.
Cheers
14 Jul 2016
Total posts 7
Does this A350 have inflight bar like Qatar, China Airlines does?
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