It’s been nearly seven years since Singapore Airlines first agreed to order 20 of Boeing’s new 777X aircraft family, in the form of the Boeing 777-9, a significant commitment to the US manufacturer for a large share of its future long-haul passenger fleet requirements.

Believe it it not, the first aircraft was due to join the fleet two years ago in 2021, but a series of delays that we already outlined last year means we currently won’t see an SIA-tailed 777-9 in service until late 2025 at the earliest, or more probably into 2026, a potential slippage of close to five years.

That hasn’t dulled the airline’s enthusiasm for the type.

In February 2021, SIA converted some of its Boeing 787 orders across to the 777-9, which is the largest twin-jet Boeing has ever built, increasing the carrier’s total order tally to 31 of the jets.

While the airline is keeping tight-lipped over its new aircraft, and we still probably have two years to wait for any major product reveal, there is plenty we do know about the 777-9 and its likely configuration for us to delve into in the meantime.

Let’s take a look at the plane, its cabin options, and its likely future deployment in the Singapore Airlines fleet.

About the 777-9

The Boeing 777-9 is now the largest new passenger airliner available to airlines, following the end of Airbus A380 and Boeing 747-8 production in 2021 and 2023 respectively.

The 777-9 is a ‘777 MAX’ of sorts, with Boeing stretching and enhancing its existing 777-300ER fuselage design, adding new composite wings (with folding wing tips, so the aircraft fits on existing wide-body parking gates).

Most critically, the type has new GE9X turbofan engines, for a 21% fuel consumption improvement per seat over its predecessor.

The list price for the Boeing 777-9 is US$442 million, but Singapore Airlines will have secured a substantial discount, typically of at least 50%. Valuation specialist Avitas estimates the “real” purchase price of the 777-9 at around US$200 million a piece (sorry Mr. Goh, if you paid more!).

Even at that more realistic price, SIA is still committing over US$6 billion (close to S$8 billion) into its future 777-9 fleet – a huge long-term capital commitment to what will become a major element of the carrier’s premium long-haul fleet into the 2040s.

The Boeing 777-9 will replace Boeing 777-300ERs in the Singapore Airlines fleet, and eventually some Airbus A380s too, with some aircraft in the superjumbo fleet set to be 20 years old by 2030.

TIA in 2024, delivery in 2025

Despite numerous production delays, there’s thankfully light at the end of the tunnel for the 777X programme.

At last month’s Dubai Airshow, Boeing said it was “edging towards” type inspection authorisation (TIA), a key milestone that represents the start of the formal FAA certification flight testing phase of the programme, meaning the regulator has determined that the aircraft “is expected to meet” certification requirements.

At the same event, Emirates CEO Sir Tim Clark said he expects TIA to happen in February 2024.

The time from TIA to formal FAA certification is typically 12-18 months (for the Boeing 787, it took 14 months), so the Boeing 777-9 looks set to be certified by mid-2025, if everything goes smoothly.

2025 is still Boeing’s target for the type’s service entry, with Emirates’ COO Adel Al Redha not being shy on specifics. He told reporters at the Dubai Airshow last month that the airline now expects to take delivery of its first 777-9 in October 2025.

What’s good about the 777-9?

We already know why airlines like SIA are attracted to the 777-9, with significantly lower fuel burn, high passenger capacity and impressive range ensuring this addition to their fleets will ultimately improve in the bottom line.

For airlines, the 777-9 will boast:

• 21% less fuel consumption on a per-seat basis compared to the 777-300ER, thanks to more efficient GE9X engines, carbon fibre wings, and a wider cabin allowing for up to 10-abreast seating.
• The highest underfloor cargo capacity of any commercial passenger aircraft, with 230 cubic metres of space for baggage and potentially lucrative freight – 14% more than the 777-300ER and 31% more than the A380.

Boeing has also worked to improve the passenger experience with this aircraft, so now that we know SIA’s shareholders will be happy as the 777-9 is introduced, let’s take a look at what differences this will make for us.

Bigger windows

Boeing has tried to give everyone a window seat on its 777X aircraft (which is no mean feat).

The manufacturer has achieved this by making the windows bigger, and placing them a bit higher in the fuselage walls, so that even middle seat passengers can benefit from a better outside view.

“The composite body allows for taller and larger windows, so no matter where you sit, you can always see a window and the horizon without having to bend over.”

Kent Craver, Regional director for Cabin Experience, Boeing

However, if you’re a fan of the windows on the Boeing 787, which are the largest of any commercial airliner, you’ll have to temper your expectations a fraction.

Though Boeing rather conveniently doesn’t mention it in the following diagram, the 787’s windows are 176 square inches in area, so the 777X windows come in around 8% smaller, at 162 square inches.

On the plus side, each cabin window is still 16% larger than those on older Boeing 777s, and a significant 29% larger than on the Airbus A350.

Better cabin pressure

Cabin pressure at cruise altitude will be higher on the Boeing 777-9, at 9.0 psi, compared to 8.6 psi on the Boeing 777-300ER.

That means the air inside the cabin is equivalent to that at a lower altitude, closer to sea level, for the same cruise altitude.

For example, when cruising at 36,000ft the Boeing 777-9 cabin altitude will be 4,850ft, compared to 5,700ft at the same cruise altitude on the Boeing 777-300ER.

Dimmable windows

Unlike on the Boeing 787, dimmable windows are a customer option on the 777X family.

We have no way of knowing at this stage whether Singapore Airlines has selected this feature or not, and the concept certainly divides opinions in the frequent flyer community since the window settings throughout the cabin can be centrally controlled by the cabin crew.

Airbus recently made electro-dimmable windows an option on its A350 family, with Taiwan’s Starlux the first airline to select this feature for its aircraft.

If SIA has chosen EDWs for its aircraft, you can expect a newer generation technology than you’ll find on the Boeing 787, with these latest windows promising to eliminate “more than 99.999%” of visible light.

Improved humidity

Boeing is promising improved cabin humidity levels on the 777-9 compared to previous models, and most of our readers will know this is already a benefit of recent new aircraft types like the Boeing 787 and Airbus A350.

That’s certainly not because these new aircraft can “naturally” maintain more humid environments on board – they can’t.

Air that is drawn in to the passenger cabin of an aircraft at cruise altitude is extremely cold, and therefore almost completely devoid of moisture. It’s warmed up before it reaches you in the cabin (thankfully, unless you relish the idea of breathing -50^oC air!), but that process alone can’t add humidity that was never there to start with.

Modern aircraft air conditioning systems therefore use humidifiers to add moisture to the cabin air, and that’s what Boeing will also be doing with the 777-9.

As with other aircraft types though, humidity will be best in Economy Class.

That’s because despite the best efforts of aircraft manufacturers, most humidity in aircraft cabins actually comes from the exhaled breath of passengers, not from the air conditioning system.

Business Class therefore has lower humidity levels, typically around 7% on most aircraft, compared to 12% in Economy Class. First Class suffers the most, with 2-5% humidity levels, a quarter of the moisture Economy Class passengers enjoy.

The process is additionally complicated by the very high rate at which cabin air is refreshed on airliners.

The air in a typical passenger cabin is completely replaced every 3 minutes, and therefore so is most of the moisture. Humidifiers need to work overtime to solve this problem in an aircraft cabin environment – let’s see if those on the 777-9 live up to the challenge.

The Boeing 777 family has traditionally been known for very dry cabin environments, so an improvement here will be welcome, but it’s not one to get too excited about with the Airbus A350 and Boeing 787 families already adopting active humidification.

Lower cabin noise
(aka: some noise is good!)

As aircraft like the 777X family develop better sidewall insulation and have more efficient engines, they have become much quieter for passengers.

That’s a great thing of course, but it can be a double-edged sword.

The Boeing 777-9 has better noise absorption in the cabin sidewalls, as well as additional air nozzles throughout the cabin that run at lower speeds, and are therefore quieter, creating a more relaxed environment for all on board from First Class right to the back of the Economy cabin.

However, what no one wants to hear while trying to sleep is a nearby passenger loudly clunking their cutlery, a dish being dropped in the galley, or a loud passenger regaling stories to a neighbour, at a volume only a few glasses of wine can generate!

“At Boeing we’re big believers based on research that it’s not about sound level, it’s about sound quality. There is a certain level of sound masking that is desirable so you’re not hearing doors closing and other passengers’ conversations.”

Kent Craver, Regional director for cabin experience, Boeing

To achieve this goal, Boeing is using the ‘invisible speaker’ in the 777X cabin. This allows the cabin’s ceiling panels to act as speakers to maintain optimal sound throughout the aircraft.

SIA’s Boeing 777-9s

Singapore Airlines is the third-largest customer for the Boeing 777X, after Emirates and Qatar Airways, with 31 firm orders, all of which are for the 777-9.

Boeing 777X Passenger Aircraft Orders
December 2023

SIA has shown no public interest in the smaller (but longer range) 777-8 passenger variant, which is a more direct replacement for the 777-300ER in terms of capacity, and as you can see it’s not alone. Only Emirates and Etihad have committed to a relatively small number of that type, which won’t start being delivered until 2030.

In March 2018, as Singapore Airlines was taking delivery of its first Boeing 787-10, CEO Goh Choon Phong revealed that the carrier was developing a brand new First Class and Business Class cabin product for the Boeing 777-9.

“We believe when we launch it, we will set an industry standard.

“(SIA will) be going out to our consumers and customers to get better ideas about what it is they really want in the next quantum leap of service and product.”

Goh Choon Phong, CEO, Singapore Airlines
March 2018

Last year, he expressed his disappointment at the delays to the 777-9s certification programme, eager to showcase these latest products to the world.

“It is unfortunate that the 777-9 is delayed, because I’m very proud of the product we have already designed for the aircraft.”

Goh Choon Phong, CEO, Singapore Airlines
November 2022

Betty Wong, SIA’s Divisional Vice President of Inflight Services and Design, confirmed to Executive Traveller in May 2022 that it wasn’t just First and Business Class, but in fact all four cabins on the carrier’s 777-9s will be getting new seats, including Economy and Premium Economy.

Now that we’ve looked at the benefits all Boeing 777-9 passengers should enjoy, let’s take a closer look at what we can expect from the Singapore Airlines aircraft, once they enter service.

10-abreast in Economy

First the bad news. While the Boeing 777-9 has the same physical fuselage structure as the older 777-300ER, the cabin wall thickness has been reduced by 5 cm on each side, which the manufacturer has achieved by redesigning the sidewalls and fitting thinner insulation.

That means a 10 cm wider cabin in total, and that means 10-abreast seating in Economy Class (already used by some airlines on the 777-300ER) is now standard for the 777-9.

Singapore Airlines will be no exception to the rule – after all a large chunk of the 777-9’s 21% fuel saving on a per-seat basis is down to this denser Economy Class seating layout.

You can therefore except a 3-4-3 layout in this cabin, just like the airline offers on its Airbus A380s.

Unfortunately, seat width will take a hit.

Here’s how Economy Class seat width stacks up on Singapore Airlines’ existing aircraft.

Singapore Airlines
Economy Class Seat Width

Aircraft	Seat Width
Boeing 777-300ER	48.3 cm (19.0 in)
Airbus A380	47.0 cm (18.5 in)
Airbus A350 LH Airbus A350 MH	45.7 cm (18.0 in)
Boeing 737-800 Boeing 737-8 MAX	45.0 cm (17.7 in)
Boeing 787-10	44.5 cm (17.5 in)

As you can see from the table above, SIA’s Economy Class seats on the Boeing 777-300ER are the widest in the fleet at 48.3 cm (19 in).

That sadly won’t be possible on the 777-9 with a 3-4-3 layout.

On the Boeing 777-9 with 10-abreast seating, 44.5 cm (17.5 in) wide seats are possible, provided the airline is satisfied with an aisle width of approximately 44 cm.

Aisle width in Economy Class on the airline’s Boeing 777-300ERs is approximately 50 cm.

That means the best you can expect is the same seat width currently offered in the airline’s narrowest Economy Class product – like the ones you’ll find on the Boeing 787-10.

The difference of course is that the 787-10 plies the regional network, with flight times of 2 to 7 hours, while the 777-9 will stretch its legs all the way to cities like London, a non-stop journey of 14 hours.

Singapore Airlines will showcase a new Economy Class seat on its Boeing 777-9 fleet, though it’s difficult to innovate this product much further than its latest iterations, which already include adjustable headrests, cup holders, portable device stowage, 11.1-inch IFE screens, AC power supply and USB charging ports.

The latest JAL Economy Class seats on the airline’s new flagship Airbus A350-1000 include USB-C charging and 13-inch 4K IFE screens, so these might be the kind of enhancements we can expect to see on SIA’s Boeing 777-9.

Sadly JAL’s 34-inch seat pitch in Economy Class is unlikely to be replicated by SIA – the airline sticks to 32 inches for its wide-body aircraft in this cabin.

First Class / Suites

Apart from confirming that its Boeing 777-9s will have an all-new First Class cabin product, Singapore Airlines hasn’t shared many details about what we can expect.

It’s safe to say though, that with a promised “quantum leap” in the product, we’re looking at some form of enclosed Suites, or suite-like seat products, with full privacy.

That should be a significant improvement on the existing Boeing 777-300ER First Class seats, which in many respects aren’t a major shift from the airline’s Business Class.

Modern touches like USB-C charging ports, wireless charging pads and bluetooth headphone connectivity are relatively obvious expectations, but we’re sure SIA will still stop short of the Emirates-style bar, onboard shower and live video ordering system!

Other items on our personal wish list include the option for companion dining, and a double bed configuration for couples.

A few lucky top-tier PPS Club members have apparently been shown a preview of the new Singapore Airlines 777-9 First Class product, in addition to the proposed Business Class cabin design, but are all constrained by a non-disclosure agreement.

Whatever SIA has decided on, there’s plenty of space to achieve it.

Aside from a wider cabin, the Boeing 777-9 boasts a huge forward section between the first two sets of main cabin doors – a distance of some 16.71 m, compared to 10.33 m on the Boeing 777-300ER.

That gives airlines a significant scope to be creative with First Class or Suites cabins on this aircraft, while still retaining a good number of Business Class seats ahead of the second door pair in the rear half of the forward section.

Boeing’s example LOPA diagram for the 777-9 shows 8 First Class seats in a 1-2-1 configuration and 28 Business Class seats in a 2-3-2 configuration in the forward cabin section

Here are some design concepts for Boeing 777-9 First Class seating layouts. These tend to be the product of designers’ imaginations gone at least a little bit wild, and rarely reflect what’s ultimately feasible on board an actual aircraft – so do take them with a pinch of salt!

FactoryDesign: Ensuite bedroom

The UK’s factorydesign worked with Singapore Airlines for the first time when it styled the carrier’s new Boeing 737-8 MAX Regional Business Class seats, launched in November 2021.

The agency has a slightly outlandish but fascinating First Class cabin concept for wide-body aircraft like the Boeing 777-9, in a 2-2 configuration with a single aisle and high privacy walls.

Each seat pair can then act as two standalone suites with enclosed doors, one by the window with its own access corridor and one by the aisle.

The real fun though is that each seat pair can be combined into a double suite, complete with its own en-suite toilet.

One problem with this layout is that it would require a single aisle at the front of the aircraft, which could have limitations for passenger egress rates from the Business Class cabin behind, in the event of an evacuation.

Butterfly Seating: Modular combining suites

Butterfly Seating’s Peacock Suites concept has four Suites, each of which can accommodate one or two passengers.

With this design, two adjacent suites can be joined together, allowing a separate living room and bedroom space for a couple or family.

A co-joined suite can also have its own en-suite toilet, like the factorydesign concept.

Again, this one has the potential drawback of a single aisle evacuation path for Business Class passengers.

What have other airlines done?

It must be reiterated, the concepts shown above are rather fanciful, even for any airline – let alone SIA, which doesn’t tend to chase gimmicks in its cabin designs.

Lufthansa has become the first airline to reveal its Boeing 777-9 First Class product, which will actually debut on its Airbus A350s from 2024, including a double bed suite.

Emirates has a two-row 1-1-1 Suites arrangement on its newest Boeing 777-300ER aircraft in the First Class cabin, a fantastic product we’ve tried before, and while it hasn’t been confirmed yet this is likely to be what it chooses for the 777-9 as well, with six seats in total.

The trend is 1-1-1 in this cabin, but that doesn’t help if SIA wants to offer a double bed option for its First Class passengers, which could be a possibility in the middle section if 1-2-1 is retained.

If SIA follows the likes of Lufthansa, Qantas and JAL with the First Class concept, we think two rows of 1-1-1 would be a likely fit.

Three First Class seats (one row) is a very small cabin, and would even exclude an typical family from all occupying the same cabin.

On the other hand, nine seats (three rows) seems like overkill, especially when you consider the wide route network for the 31-strong 777-9 fleet in future, with many closer cities that really may not support high First Class demand.

In a nutshell, our prediction, for whatever it’s worth:

• If SIA has gone for 1-1 layout in First Class, there will be four seats in total (two rows) or six seats in total (three rows)
• If SIA has gone for a 1-1-1 layout in First Class, there will be six seats in total (two rows)
• If SIA has gone for a 1-2-1 layout in First Class, there will be four seats in total (one row) or eight seats in total (two rows), hopefully the latter

Business Class

While the trend for wide-body First Class is 1-1-1 cabin layouts and suite-like features, there’s little doubt that the trend in Business Class is closing privacy doors.

Doors on Business Class seats debuted in October 2014 with JetBlue’s Mint product, but they are now “de rigueur” in this cabin, seen on the likes of Air France, British Airways, Delta, ANA, China Eastern, KLM and Qatar Airways.

The latest upcoming Airbus A350-1000 Business Class cabins for Qantas and JAL also have closing privacy doors.

While enclosed Suites with doors will be essential in the new Boeing 777-9 First Class, SIA will likely face some serious ridicule if it shuns the doors idea in Business Class again.

The airline’s most recent long-haul Business Class product, the 2017 J seat found on the carrier’s 12 Airbus A380s, is a very nice but very similar seat to the 2013 J version installed on other aircraft.

SIA stopped short of fitting doors to those seats, but it surely can’t afford not to now.

With or without doors, and it seems hard to believe it will be without, what else can we expect from SIA’s new long-haul Business Class seats?

As with First Class, we can safely expect modern touches like USB-C charging ports, wireless charging pads and bluetooth headphone connectivity in Business Class on the 777-9.

IFE screens should also inch bigger, along with the general industry trend. JAL’s latest system in Business Class is a 24-inch 4K high resolution offering, while SIA’s decade-old Boeing 777-300ER Business Class still has 18-inch LCD screens.

A double bed option at the middle seat pairs would also pique our interest.

The airline already offers this at three bulkhead rows on its Airbus A380s in Business Class, but it can be difficult to secure these, especially for last-minute bookings.

In terms of the layout, it’s not really possible for SIA to consider anything other than a 1-2-1 setup in Business Class, like it currently has on all its wide-body aircraft.

The airline does not traditionally favour herringbone designs, where the seats are angled either towards or away from the window / aisle, so we’d expect to see fuselage-aligned seats.

However, one concept SIA has embraced with its new Regional Business Class is the ‘staggered’ 1-2-1 arrangement, with seats being aligned against the window and then closer to the aisle at alternate rows.

This also allows for couple / ‘honeymoon’ options at alternate rows in the middle section, where those double beds could potentially come into play.

Premium Economy Class

Premium Economy will naturally be a feature of the Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-9, with the carrier currently offering this cabin class on all of its long-haul aircraft types.

SIA currently uses two different Premium Economy seats in its fleet, since 2015:

• ZIM Aircraft Seating ZIM Magic
  Fitted to the carrier’s A380s and 777-300ERs
• Safran Seats US Z535i
  Fitted to the carrier’s A350 LHs and A350 ULRs

Both seats are customised by JPA Design, so they look very similar, though the ZIM seats fitted to the A380s and 777-300ERs are wider at 19.5 inches, compared to 19 inches for the Safran seats on the A350s, thanks to additional cabin width.

Singapore Airlines has already confirmed that the 777-9 will see the launch of its second generation of Premium Economy Class seats, the first major upgrade for this cabin in 10 years.

There have been some interesting developments in the Premium Economy space lately, with Lufthansa soon adopting the ZIM Privacy seat, already used by partner Swiss.

These primarily improve privacy, as their name suggests, with extended winged panels at the headrest level.

Next month JAL is introducing a new Premium Economy product by Safran Seats France that features large sliding privacy partitions, probably the most impressive we’ve seen yet in this travel class.

JAL’s seats also have motorised leg rests that rise up to 90 degrees to increase the surface area of your seat, quite a nifty feature that could prove to be comfortable for watching TV or sleeping, while seat pitch is a whopping 42 inches (4 inches more than SIA currently offers).

Let’s hope Singapore Airlines will be making some improvements like this to its own Premium Economy offering with the 777-9, especially in the privacy department.

In terms of the Premium Economy layout, don’t be concerned by the face that SIA will be squeeing in an extra seat per row in Economy Class.

The status quo 2-4-2 will inevitably remain the configuration in this cabin.

For one thing, 3-3-3 removes the selling point of couple options by the window, and for another SIA sticks to 2-4-2 on the main deck of the Airbus A380, which has a 6.30m cabin width, so it’s almost certain they will do the same on the 5.97m-wide Boeing 777-9.

One good thing we should therefore expect is at least 19.5-inch seat width in this cabin, rather than the tighter 19 inches offered on the carrier’s A350s.

8 doors or 10 doors?

As you may know, the Boeing 777-300ER has 10 exit doors (5 on each side), and if you’ve seen pictures of the 777-9 test aircraft you have probably come to the conclusion that it also has 10 exit doors.

In fact, Boeing offers the 777-9 with either 8 or 10 exit doors, with an optional door pair on either side in the rear cabin section, allowing an increased maximum passenger limit of 475, rather than 440.

Here’s what we know so far, based on aircraft that have already been built.

• Emirates has gone for the 10-door fit on some aircraft, which means they can tap the maximum 475-passenger exit limit, and the 8-door fit on others, with a 440-passenger exit limit.

• Qatar Airways has gone for the 8-door fit, which has a 440-passenger exit limit.

It’s almost certain that Singapore Airlines has gone for the 8-door fit.

We can’t see the carrier looking at anything even close to a 440-seat layout on its Boeing 777-9s, in fact with a premium-heavy configuration it’s likely to be closer to just 300 seats, so it most definitely does not need a 475-seat limit.

The extra pair of doors adds weight, reduces passenger capacity in the rear section, and requires additional maintenance, so SIA will inevitably be keen to avoid this unnecessary addition on its 777-9s.

Emirates, on the other hand, operates some of its Boeing 777-300ERs in a high-density 428-seat two-class configuration (42 Business, 386 Economy), and with a simple 10% increase across the board could therefore easily hit 470+ seats in a similar configuration on the 777-9, necessitating the 10-door model.

SIA’s Boeing 787-10 already provides it with a high capacity regional aircraft type, with 337 seats. Even at the highest end of our estimates, the 777-9 will not beat this, due to its likely premium-heavy configuration.

Just one Economy Class seating section?

With the 8-door model likely on the cards for Singapore Airlines’ Boeing 777-9s, there is a huge single cabin section between the third and fourth set of passenger exit doors, stretching from behind the wing right to the back of the jet.

Given SIA’s likely premium-heavy cabin layout, we’d hazard a guess that this might be the only Economy Class seating area on board, with the forward two cabin sections dedicated to First, Business and Premium Economy cabins.

According to Boeing, the final section between the third and fourth pair of doors on the 8-door aircraft would accommodate 200 Economy Class passengers in a mostly 3-4-3 layout, which is probably not far off SIA’s ideal seat count for this cabin on the 777-9 (about 9% more than it has on the 777-300ER).

That would make it the largest single Economy Class section in SIA’s wide-body fleet, with no doors or bulkhead dividers across a mammoth 20-21 rows.

It would also have the impact of potentially leaving only a single Economy Class row with extra legroom seats on the 777-9, compared to two rows on the 777-300ER and three on the A380.

As the Boeing plans also show, there should be some couple options in Economy Class on the 777-9, especially at the very back of this section, where the cabin narrows and 2-4-2 seating becomes the norm.

How many seats?

The Boeing 777-9 can accommodate around 15% more passengers than the Boeing 777-300ER, and that would lead us to speculate on the following approximate layout of the type by cabin class in the Singapore Airlines fit.

Singapore Airlines Boeing 777 Seating Layout

Cabin	777-300ER	777-9 Prediction	Change
First / Suites	4	4 – 8	0-100%
Business	48	50 – 60	~15%
Premium Economy	28	30 – 34	~15%
Economy	184	200 – 220	~15%
Total	264	284 – 322	~15%

Note that SIA has not yet confirmed its planned cabin layout for the 777-9, this is purely our educated guess.

So far only one Boeing 777-9 customer, British Airways, has confirmed the seating configuration for its aircraft.

The Oneworld carrier will configure its 777-9s with the following layout:

• 8 First Class
• 65 Business Class
• 46 Premium Economy
• 206 Economy
• 325 Total

SIA’s cabins are usually less densely arranged than those of British Airways, so we think the total seat count will come in lower than 325, as we’ve estimated in the table above.

That’s right – we reckon SIA’s Boeing 787-10 will still have the highest number of seats among the carrier’s twin-jets at 337. That’s just too many for the 777-9, unless SIA were to significantly cut down the proportion of seats in its premium cabins, which seems unlikely.

Which 777-9s will SIA get?

Singapore Airlines has been allocated line slots for its first six Boeing 777-9 aircraft, but don’t get too excited – because they aren’t particularly early slots on the list.

Boeing 777-9 Production List

Source: Aviation Flights Group

Boeing is planning a production rate of three 777-9s per month, which would put SIA’s first aircraft delivery around 7-8 months after the first customer.

However, there are a couple of caveats to bear in mind here:

• Some of these aircraft have already been built, including several for Emirates. They might therefore be delivered more quickly than three per month, once deliveries are cleared to start.
• Delivery is not always in Line Number sequence (though it usually closely follows it). Singapore Airlines may have negotiated to have its aircraft delivered earlier than its Line Number allocation suggests.
• Emirates is expecting its first Boeing 777-9 in October 2025, but it hasn’t yet been confirmed that the carrier will be the launch customer (for example, the first Qatar Airways 777-9 has also been built already).

When Boeing 777-9 deliveries will actually commence is still uncertain, but for example if it was in the second half of 2025 there’s a good chance that SIA’s first 777-9 might not then be entering service until late 2025 or even early 2026.

Japanese carrier All Nippon Airways looks set to be the first Asian airline to operate the Boeing 777-9, while Singapore Airlines will be the first operator in South East Asia.

One of SIA’s primary competitors Cathay Pacific was an early customer for the 777-9, with 21 aircraft on order since December 2013, but has yet to be assigned Line Numbers for production.

The airline deferred its Boeing 777-9 deliveries as the COVID-19 pandemic persisted, in October 2020.

Where will SIA’s 777-9s fly?

The Boeing 777-9 will replace Boeing 777-300ERs in the Singapore Airlines fleet, and eventually selected Airbus A380s too, with some aircraft in the superjumbo fleet set to be 20 years old by 2030.

We can therefore ultimately expect the 777-9s to be rolled out to a variety of routes including Australia, New Zealand, Europe, Japan and the USA.

There will also inevitably be “filler” flights in the schedule that slot nicely between long-haul assignments for these aircraft, just like there are today for the 777-300ER, including closer cities like Hong Kong, Shanghai and Jakarta.

The 777-9 will be able to fly 13,500km with a full payload, similar to the 777-300ER (13,649km), but around 9% less than the Airbus A380 (14,800km).

Nonetheless, Singapore Airlines does not currently operate any Airbus A380 or Boeing 777 flights longer than Singapore – London Heathrow, which comes in well below these range limits at 10,900km, so there won’t be any concerns here.

Non-stop Singapore-US flights, both to the west and east coasts, are the remit of the airline’s Airbus A350 ULR or A350 “LH+” jets. They are outside the 777-9’s non-stop range, with the possible exception of Singapore – Seattle.

What will the launch route be?

Well, early speculation on this isn’t helpful yet – since you can’t book flights for 2025 or 2026 at the time of writing, in the hope the 777-9 takes over!

Launch routes will depend on whether Singapore Airlines needs to operate crew training (familiarisation) flights with the 777-9, churning its pilots and cabin crew through actual passenger services in order to gain experience, until they have a “critical mass” of qualified crew.

That initial experience ramp-up is unfeasible to achieve on long-haul routes, because it takes far too long for everyone to be signed off.

In that case the airline will likely roster its first aircraft to fly to and from regional cities on the network. The ones it loves for these crew training flights include Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Jakarta. Even Bali has been used in the past, for those who recall the Airbus A340-500’s pre-ULR missions.

On the other hand, if the authorities allow SIA to consider the 777-9 as part of the existing 777 family, with crew training potentially all possible via ground-based and/or simulator methods, it could get stuck straight in with a long-haul service from day one.

If that’s the case, look out for Sydney and London early on in the mix, the airline’s highest-revenue long-haul routes on which it loves to show off its new cabin products as soon as possible.

Sydney was the first port of call for the refitted Airbus A380s in 2017 and the original Airbus A380 Suites in 2007, while London saw the first Boeing 777-300ER with new cabin products in 2013 and the very first SpaceBed Business Class seats in 2002.

Naturally we are hoping SIA needs to run regional crew familiarisation flights, since these will be the easiest way to redeem in First Class and Business Class, allowing our readers to experience the latest cabins for minimal miles, even if only for a few short weeks.

Whatever the first routes are though, based on the airline’s production allocation, and the 777-9’s initial three-per-month production rate, SIA should be operating up to six Boeing 777-9s within around three months of the first one arriving.

That could be enough to displace Boeing 777-300ERs on two London Heathrow flights and two Sydney flights per day, as an example, possibly even with a daily Hong Kong route (or similar) in the mix, hopefully making wider redemption opportunities available relatively quickly after the initial launch.

On the face of it, the Boeing 777-9 seems like just a boring stretch of the existing Boeing 777-300ER, with more efficient engines.

Dig a little deeper into the design, however, and you don’t even have to be an AvGeek to be excited about the some of the advances this new aircraft family will represent over the three-decade-old original design of this popular twin-jet, including bigger windows, less noise, better cabin pressure and higher humidity.

The worst news is probably 3-4-3 seating in Economy Class, which Singapore Airlines will also adopt, meaning seat width of around 17.5 inches in what could be one massive 20-21 row section at the back of the plane, with no bulkhead dividers or doors to break up the space and minimal extra legroom seat options.

The added cabin width has its benefits though – since it gives airlines some exciting new options in the premium space, where our readers will want to be spending their hard-earned miles, and we’re excited to see what Singapore Airlines has in store “up front”.

Expect four to eight closed-door suites in First Class and 50 to 60 Business Class seats, hopefully with sliding privacy doors of their own, while there’s also a new Premium Economy Class product to look forward to.

Unfortunately, eager anticipation for the 777-9 is probably still a bit premature, with Emirates (potentially the type’s launch customer) recently confirming it expects to receive its first aircraft only in October 2025.

That would almost certainly mean SIA facing an early 2026 introduction at best, for its own 777-9s.

(Cover Image: Butterfly Seating)