Back in March 2021, Singapore Airlines began adding nine ex-SilkAir Boeing 737-800s to its passenger fleet, following a merger of the two carriers, but while the introduction of a new type for the national carrier was usually a cause for celebration and vaunting of new cabin products – this one was a more subdued affair.

That’s because these aircraft had received little more than a reskinned version of their former cabin products, which sadly didn’t hide their seemingly primitive origins when compared to the rest of the SIA fleet.

It’s especially true in Business Class, where three rows of recliner seats in a 2-2 configuration still adorn the forward cabin section.

This wasn’t ‘Plan A’ for Singapore Airlines

In its defence, Singapore Airlines never intended to operate these planes.

SilkAir’s 737-800s were originally destined for low-cost subsidiary Scoot, while SIA would only take the regional subsidiary’s Boeing 737-8 MAX jets, and refit them with brand new flat-bed Business Class seats along with tip-to-tail in-flight entertainment systems and Wi-Fi connectivity.

That proposal would ensure a more seamless cabin standard across the board, and indeed the carrier promised fleet-wide flat-beds in Business Class, whichever type you stepped on board, from early 2020.

The plan was sadly derailed, when two fatal crashes of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in late 2018 and early 2019 caused a global grounding of the aircraft type SIA had pinned its hopes to, as the carrier’s future full-service narrow-body model.

The result? SIA was forced to keep these older Boeing 737-800s flying in its full-service division for a lot longer than anticipated.

The good news

In May last year, Singapore Airlines whittled down its Boeing 737-800 fleet from nine to seven aircraft, deeming two of the jets “surplus to requirements”, which of course was good news for those actively avoiding the type’s older cabin products.

There’s more good news too – these aircraft aren’t owned by Singapore Airlines but instead are on operating leases, which come to an end between September 2024 and January 2026.

That means less than a year from now we’ll be saying farewell to the first of the seven remaining Boeing 737-800s, and by the end of 2025 the final one should bow out of the operating fleet, in preparation for return to its lessor.

Until then though, these older jets with their sub-standard cabin products will continue to make an unwelcome appearance on the short-haul network, which brings us on to the main point of this article.

Where is the SIA 737-800 flying?

For the upcoming IATA northern winter 2023 / 2024 season (NW23/24), which runs from 29th October 2023 to 30th March 2024, Singapore Airlines is deploying its Boeing 737-800s on four routes:

• Kathmandu
• Kuala Lumpur
• Penang
• Phuket

Kathmandu is obviously the standout route here – clocking in at up to 5 hours 30 minutes it is by far the longest stretch for this aircraft type.

The good news is, there’s often a non-737-800 alternative on these routes, which is another reason we’re writing this article – choose wisely and you can sometimes avoid the type.

Schedules

Here’s how the schedules on these routes look for the NW23/24 season, with the Boeing 737-800 services highlighted.

29th October 2023 – 27th November 2023

			Days
			M	T	W	T	F	S	S
	SQ442 737-800
SIN 18:55		KTM 22:10
	SQ441 737-800
KTM 23:10		SIN 06:30*

* Next day

29th November 2023 – 30th March 2024

			Days
			M	T	W	T	F	S	S
	SQ442 737-800
SIN 18:55		KTM 22:10
	SQ441 737-800
KTM 23:10		SIN 06:30*

* Next day

Kathmandu
737-800 alternatives

Singapore Airlines is operating its Boeing 787-10 aircraft on Kathmandu flights twice per week between now and 28th November 2023, and these are the ones to pick on this route if you want to avoid the Boeing 737-800.

Here’s how the schedule for those flights looks.

31st October 2023 – 28th November 2023

			Days
			M	T	W	T	F	S	S
	SQ440 787-10
SIN 11:00		KTM 13:45
	SQ439 787-10
KTM 15:05		SIN 22:10

Unfortunately from 29th November 2023 to 30th March 2024, there’s no avoiding the 737-800 to and from Kathmandu.

Singapore Airlines is operating 47 flights each week to and from Kuala Lumpur this upcoming winter season, and 28 of those (60%) are operated by the Boeing 737-800.

29th October 2023 – 30th March 2024

Kuala Lumpur
737-800 alternatives

Singapore Airlines is operating its Airbus A350 Long Haul and Boeing 737-8 MAX aircraft on selected Kuala Lumpur flights between now and 30th March 2024, and these are the ones to pick on this route if you want to avoid the Boeing 737-800.

Here’s how the schedule for those flights looks.

29th October 2023 – 30th March 2024

All five daily Singapore Airlines flights between Changi and Penang during the upcoming winter season are operated by the Boeing 737-800, as shown below.

29th October 2023 – 30th March 2024

Penang
737-800 alternatives

SIA’s Boeing 737-8 MAX operation on selected Penang services ends on 28th October 2023, so unfortunately there will be no avoiding the Boeing 737-800 after that date on this route.

Singapore Airlines is operating six daily flights to and from Phuket this upcoming winter season, and two of those (33%) are operated by the Boeing 737-800.

29th October 2023 – 30th March 2024

			Days
			M	T	W	T	F	S	S
	SQ724* 737-800
SIN 06:55		HKT 07:50
	SQ732* 737-800
SIN 13:10		HKT 14:15
	SQ723* 737-800
HKT 08:40		SIN 11:35
	SQ731* 737-800
HKT 15:05		SIN 18:10

* These flights are not operating (at all) from 3rd December 2023 to 30th December 2023

Phuket
737-800 alternatives

SIA’s Boeing 737-8 MAX operates on most Phuket flights during the upcoming winter season, with four daily services as outlined below, which are the ones to choose if you’re avoiding the Boeing 737-800 on this route.

29th October 2023 – 30th March 2024

^ Boeing 737-800 operates these flights from 22nd December 2023 to 28th December 2023 inclusive

Don’t forget we have a continually updated guide to Singapore Airlines Business Class seats by route and individual flight number for the entire passenger network, so do bookmark that one for future reference.

737-800 Business Class review

We jumped on board one of the ex-SilkAir Boeing 737-800s in late 2022, to try out the recliner Business Class seats, which provide a pretty mediocre hard product experience, as highlighted by our full review.

Although service was good and we were well fed and watered, it’s safe to say this is a waste of miles with clunky manual seat controls, no privacy, no Wi-Fi connectivity and in-flight entertainment via an iPad that didn’t work on either sector of our journey!

The very minor refresh Singapore Airlines made to this cabin on the 737-800s is apparent in the ‘before and after’ shot below – we actually prefer the warmer tones used in the SilkAir fit, compared to the ‘Premium Economy grey’ SIA has opted for.

As you can see, apart from new upholstery and cushions there’s no major change to the hard product, with little privacy and no flat-bed function, both features of the airline’s other Business Class products including those fitted to the newer Boeing 737-8 MAX.

How to tell if your flight is on the 737-800

Aside from the schedule tables above, Singapore Airlines identifies the Boeing 737-800 in its booking engine when you search for a flight or award redemption, either through the website or mobile app, labelling them the “Boeing 737-800 NG”.

Simply click ‘More details’ for the flight(s) displayed in the search results to reveal the aircraft type.

Note that a different identification is given for the newer Boeing 737-8 MAX aircraft, which are labelled “Boeing 737-8 MAX” by SIA.

If you’re using a search tool like ExpertFlyer, you can identify the Boeing 737-800 in the search results by its IATA aircraft type designator “738”. Note how the Boeing 737-8 MAX uses “7M8”.

If you’re checking for the Boeing 737-800 on a flight tracking site like FlightRadar24, you may see it referred to by its ICAO aircraft type designator “B738”.

Most third-party booking sites like Kayak will also clearly show if your flight is operated by the 737-800.

The current SIA 737-800 fleet

The current Singapore Airlines fleet of seven Boeing 737-800 aircraft is as shown in the table below.

Singapore Airlines Boeing 737-800 Fleet
Registration	Age (Oct 2023)	Owner	Lease Expiry
9V-MGC	9.5 yrs	Standard Chartered	2024
9V-MGD	9.4 yrs	Standard Chartered	2024
9V-MGE	9.2 yrs	SDH Wings	2024
9V-MGK	8.4 yrs	Merced Capital	2025
9V-MGL	8.2 yrs	Merced Capital	2025
9V-MGM	8.1 yrs	Merced Capital	2025
9V-MGN	8.1 yrs	Merced Capital	2026

The oldest three of these aircraft are approaching 10 years of age, and will be returned to their lessors between September and December 2024, shrinking the carrier’s fleet to only four 737-800 aircraft by the end of next year.

Eventually the last Boeing 737-800 is due to leave the operating fleet in late 2025, for return to lessor in January 2026.

Don’t confuse the 737-800 with the 737 MAX

While Singapore Airlines decided against any further cabin upgrades on its fleet of Boeing 737-800s inherited from SilkAir, it’s a different story for the carrier’s Boeing 737-8 MAX fleet.

SIA recently trimmed its total order for the type by 20%, but it will still operate a large fleet of 29 MAXs once all of its aircraft have been delivered.

All of the MAXs have new narrow-body cabin products, including flat-bed seats in Business Class and seat-back in-flight entertainment screens in Economy Class. Here are our dedicated articles covering the new cabins, to help you know what to expect on board.

Singapore Airlines is flying its seven-strong fleet of Boeing 737-800 aircraft on four routes this upcoming winter season, stretching their legs as far as five-hour Kathmandu flights.

That’s bad news for the passenger experience, with older cabin products including recliner seats in Business Class and a lack of in-built IFE systems and Wi-Fi connectivity.

The good news is that on some of these routes, like Phuket, SIA offers alternative non-737-800 flights for you to choose.

Thankfully by the end of 2025, we won’t even need to worry about these planes at all, with full flat-bed Business Class seats on all SIA jets finally a reality, no matter how short your flight, as the final 737-800 leaves the fleet.

(Cover Photo: Dillon Chong)