Singapore Airlines Fleet & Storage Report: February 2021

Singapore Airlines has scaled back its active passenger aircraft total slightly to 72 in recent weeks, from 74 in January 2021, as the carrier prepares to introduce Boeing 737-800s into its fleet from March 2021. Airbus A350s and Boeing 787s continue to cover the bulk of the operating network.

Meanwhile another Airbus A330 has departed Singapore back to its lessor, dwindling the total in this (stored) fleet to just four aircraft, and there’s been an Airbus A380 ‘shuffle’ in anticipation of the next cabin refit at Changi.

Fleet totals

Here are the Singapore Airlines passenger fleet totals at 27th February 2021.

	CAAS Database:	132
	For disposal:	-26
	In Service:	106
	In maintenance / stored:	-34
	Active:	72

The official registered aircraft data in combination with recent 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 106 planes at 27th February 2021, 72 of which are recently active.

  Click here to see the official CAAS list of registered aircraft in Singapore at 31st January 2021.

SIA Passenger Fleet at 27th February 2021

This 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 or cargo flights (‘Active’).

Type	Registered	In Service	Active
A330-300 (full details)	4	0	0
A350-900 (full details)	26	26	25
A350-900 Regional (full details)	19	19	17
A350-900 ULR (full details)	7	7	6
A380-800 v1 (full details)	6	0	0
A380-800 v2 (full details)	4	3	0
A380-800 v3 (full details)	9	9	0
777-200 (full details)	8	0	0
777-200ER (full details)	3	0	0
777-300 (full details)	4	0	0
777-300ER (full details)	27	27	9
787-10 (full details)	15	15	15
Total	132	106	72

Following confirmation that all the airline’s remaining Airbus A330s, Boeing 777-200s, Boeing 777-200ERs and Boeing 777-300s will not be returning to the fleet after COVID-19, in addition to seven older Airbus A380s, we have removed these from the ‘In Service’ column.

This reflects a future fleet of 106 aircraft, plus future near-term deliveries of Airbus A350s and Boeing 787-10s.

There will also a nine Boeing 737-800s and an unknown number of Boeing 737 MAX 8s joining the fleet in 2021, as the SilkAir merger enters its final stage.

Fleet activity

Only four aircraft types are currently in service with the airline, as shown in the table below outlining the number in use at each of our monthly fleet update ‘snapshots’.

An aircraft is considered ‘active’ if it has flown at least one passenger or cargo-only flight in the last 14 days.

SIA fleet activity timeline (2020)
	A350			B773	B77W	B787	Total
	LH	R	ULR
Apr	16	10	—	4	18	15	63
May	14	9	—	3	18	15	59
Jun	21	12	—	2	11	15	61
Aug	23	14	—	1	4	14	56
Sep	24	13	—	1	7	12	57
Oct	24	13	—	1	4	12	54
Nov	25	17	—	—	10	14	66
Dec	26	18	3	—	9	14	70
Jan 2021	26	18	6	—	9	15	74
Feb 2021	25	17	6	—	9	15	72

Almost all Airbus A350s and Boeing 787-10s remain in consistent use, while the deployment of Boeing 777-300ERs is still at around a third of that fleet, with the airline actively using a total of 72 aircraft in February 2021.

Here’s a graphical look at the active vs. stored fleet, including the average daily utilisation per active aircraft based on the seven-day period between 15th February and 21st February 2021.

Boeing 777-300ER activity was low at just 2 hours per active aircraft per day. These aircraft continue to mostly be deployed on cargo-only services, with some shorter passenger flights in the mix including to Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh, where the First Class cabin is not sold.

Airbus A350s and Boeing 787s on the other hand are far busier, with the active aircraft in those fleets clocking up seven to 13 hours per day on average.

Other aircraft types in the Singapore Airlines fleet remain in storage this month and are not currently being flown at all, which has mostly been the case since early April 2020:

• Airbus A330
• Airbus A380
• Boeing 777-200
• Boeing 777-200ER
• Boeing 777-300

Another Airbus A330 has departed

Following the de-registration of 9V-STC in November last year and 9V-SSD the following month, another Airbus A330 (9V-SSE) was deregistered in January 2021.

The aircraft is now back with its lessor on the Austrian register as OE-IEK. It was ferried from Singapore to Pinal Airpark (MZJ) in Arizona for storage in mid-February.

It’s fair to say -SSE wasn’t the luckiest A330 in the Singapore Airlines fleet over its five-year service life. It suffered an engine failure on departure out of Dhaka in February 2018, when a fan blade separated from the engine, causing it to divert to Mandalay.

In January 2020, it was struck by a catering truck, causing damage to its cargo door, requiring its complete removal and replacement.

9V-SSF will presumably be the next A330 to depart for return from lease.

The work of the A330 fleet has now been taken up by Airbus A350 Regional and Boeing 787-10 aircraft in the SIA fleet, though there are still four registered A330s in storage at Changi.

These are due for return to lessors between now and September 2021.

Airbus A380s shuffle for a refit

Earlier this week one of SIA’s Airbus A380s (9V-SKL) was flown to storage in Alice Springs, but this wasn’t a net addition to the seven superjumbos already parked there.

Shortly after it arrived, a previously stored A380 (9V-SKQ) was flown from Alice Springs to Sydney, for a short maintenance visit.

SKQ has since been flown back to Singapore, where it will be the fifth older A380 to be refitted with the airline’s latest cabin products, SIA confirmed to Mainly Miles.

9V-SKL had been stored at Changi since its last passenger service on 27th March 2020, while 9V-SKQ had been in desert storage for a total of almost eight months, having been relocated to the Alice Springs facility on 27th June 2020.

We understand the cabin refit programme for the three remaining aircraft, including 9V-SKQ, will be completed by the end of this year, bringing the fleet of A380s with the latest products to 12 – it’s future total.

Boeing 737-800s are coming

The merger of SilkAir into Singapore Airlines is set to enter its final stage next month, with nine Boeing 737-800s progressively moving across to the SIA mainline fleet, and the first three of eight confirmed routes picking up narrow-body SQ service.

These aircraft had not been formally transferred to the Singapore Airlines Air Operator Certificate at the last CAAS registry update on 31st January 2021, however we expect them to start moving across this month.

Here are details of the nine aircraft, including the date of their final passenger flight with SilkAir.

Aircraft	Location	Last flew	Days ago
9V-MGA	SIN	20 Mar 20	343
9V-MGB	SIN	23 Mar 20	340
9V-MGC	SIN	9 Feb 21	17
9V-MGD	SIN	3 Jan 21	54
9V-MGE	SIN	24 Jan 21	33
9V-MGK	SIN	18 Mar 20	345
9V-MGL	SIN	15 Dec 20	73
9V-MGM	SIN	19 Mar 20	344
9V-MGN	SIN	20 Mar 20	343

We understand all nine aircraft have now been repainted in SIA colours.

Don’t miss our full rundown of what to expect on board these narrow-body aircraft, from food and drink to windowless seats, entertainment options and cabin crew uniforms, as they start to enter service with SIA.

The storage report: February 2021

Here’s how SIA’s passenger fleet activity looked on 26th February 2021, which gives us an indication of which aircraft are stored (last flew 14+ days ago), compared to those either active or in ‘active storage’ (last flew more recently).

Last flew > 60 days ago
Last flew 14-59 days ago
Last flew < 14 days ago

‘Last flew’ dates relate to the aircraft’s last revenue passenger or cargo-only flight.

Airbus A330-300

All the airline’s Airbus A330 aircraft remain stored in Singapore. None have flown passenger flights for the last ten months.

These aircraft are being progressively returned to their leasing companies, a process expected to be completed in Q3 2021.

Aircraft	Location	Last flew	Days ago
9V-SSF	SIN	13 Mar 20	350
9V-SSG	SIN	23 Mar 20	340
9V-SSH	SIN	28 Mar 20	335
9V-SSI	SIN	25 Nov 19	459

9V-SSI has yet to make a test flight appearance after sustaining tail damage during a landing incident at Yangon in November 2019. The aircraft was ferried empty to Singapore over 14 months ago in mid-December 2019, but has not flown since.

Airbus A350-900

The Airbus A350-900 long-haul fleet remains at almost full strength in February 2021, with an operating fleet of 26 and only one aircraft not flying recently, presumably for routine maintenance.

On average, each active aircraft in this fleet is currently flying eight to nine flights per week.

Aircraft	Location	Last flew	Days ago
9V-SMA	SIN	26 Feb 21	0
9V-SMB	SIN	26 Feb 21	0
9V-SMC	SIN	26 Feb 21	0
9V-SMD	SIN	25 Feb 21	1
9V-SME	SIN	26 Feb 21	0
9V-SMF	SIN	26 Feb 21	0
9V-SMG	SIN	25 Feb 21	1
9V-SMH	SIN	26 Feb 21	0
9V-SMI	SIN	26 Feb 21	0
9V-SMJ	SIN	26 Feb 21	0
9V-SMK	SIN	14 Feb 21	12
9V-SML	SIN	26 Feb 21	0
9V-SMM	SIN	25 Feb 21	1
9V-SMN	SIN	7 Feb 21	19
9V-SMO	SIN	26 Feb 21	0
9V-SMP	SIN	25 Feb 21	1
9V-SMQ	SIN	25 Feb 21	1
9V-SMR	SIN	25 Feb 21	1
9V-SMS	SIN	25 Feb 21	1
9V-SMT	SIN	26 Feb 21	0
9V-SMU	SIN	25 Feb 21	1
9V-SMV	SIN	24 Feb 21	2
9V-SMW	SIN	26 Feb 21	0
9V-SMY	SIN	26 Feb 21	0
9V-SMZ	SIN	26 Feb 21	0
9V-SJA	SIN	26 Feb 21	0

Airbus A350-900 Regional

There are currently two Airbus A350-900 Regional aircraft in storage or maintenance (9V-SHC and 9V-SHF), meaning 17 of this variant were flying recently, each operating an average of nine flights per week, the busiest in the fleet by flight volumes.

Aircraft	Location	Last flew	Days ago
9V-SHA	SIN	25 Feb 21	1
9V-SHB	SIN	25 Feb 21	1
9V-SHC	SIN	6 Feb 21	20
9V-SHD	SIN	25 Feb 21	1
9V-SHE	SIN	26 Feb 21	0
9V-SHF	SIN	24 Jul 20	217
9V-SHG	SIN	26 Feb 21	0
9V-SHH	SIN	26 Feb 21	0
9V-SHI	SIN	26 Feb 21	0
9V-SHJ	SIN	26 Feb 21	0
9V-SHK	SIN	26 Feb 21	0
9V-SHL	SIN	26 Feb 21	0
9V-SHM	SIN	26 Feb 21	0
9V-SHN	SIN	25 Feb 21	1
9V-SHO	SIN	26 Feb 21	0
9V-SHP	SIN	25 Feb 21	1
9V-SHQ	SIN	25 Feb 21	1
9V-SHR	SIN	26 Feb 21	0
9V-SHS	SIN	26 Feb 21	0

Airbus A350-900 ULR

Almost all Singapore Airlines Airbus A350-900 ULR aircraft are in service, covering daily San Francisco and New York JFK services.

Aircraft	Location	Last flew	Days ago
9V-SGA	SIN	24 Feb 21	2
9V-SGB	SIN	22 Mar 20	341
9V-SGC	SIN	25 Feb 21	1
9V-SGD	SIN	25 Feb 21	1
9V-SGE	SIN	24 Feb 21	2
9V-SGF	SIN	26 Feb 21	0
9V-SGG	SIN	26 Feb 21	0

Only 9V-SGB has yet to reappear on a passenger flight, however it made a test flight in Singapore on 25th February 2021, suggesting it too may be joining the active fleet in the coming days.

Interestingly 9V-SGF was used on two Singapore – Hanoi – Singapore flights this month (22/2 and 23/2), replacing the usual Airbus A350 Regional, and giving those booked in Economy Class a nice upgrade to Premium Economy.

Airbus A380-800

Seven of the airline’s Airbus A380 aircraft are now in long-term storage at Alice Springs, with the other 12 aircraft stored at Changi.

No revenue flights with the A380s have been flown since March 2020, and they are not being used in the current schedule through 30th April 2021.

Aircraft	Location	Last flew	Days ago
9V-SKF	SIN	24 Mar 20	339
9V-SKG	SIN	25 Mar 20	338
9V-SKH	SIN	22 Mar 20	341
9V-SKI	SIN	20 Mar 20	343
9V-SKJ	SIN	20 Mar 20	343
9V-SKK	ASP	21 Mar 20	342
9V-SKL	ASP	27 Mar 20	336
9V-SKM	SIN	21 Mar 20	342
9V-SKN	SIN	15 Oct 19	500
9V-SKP	ASP	24 Mar 20	339
9V-SKQ	SIN	26 Mar 20	337
9V-SKR	SIN	19 Mar 20	344
9V-SKS	SIN	12 Mar 20	351
9V-SKT	ASP	18 Mar 20	345
9V-SKU	SIN	25 Mar 20	338
9V-SKV	SIN	28 Mar 20	335
9V-SKW	ASP	26 Mar 20	337
9V-SKY	ASP	27 Mar 20	336
9V-SKZ	ASP	30 Mar 20	333

With First Class and Suites not being sold on any Singapore Airlines flight between now and 31st October 2021, there looks to be no imminent return for the superjumbo fleet, though SIA has confirmed 12 of the aircraft will be remaining under current plans for the post-COVID recovery, all to be fitted with new cabin products.

Boeing 777-200

In 2020 SIA inherited back a set of seven Boeing 777-200s it was leasing to the now-defunct NokScoot. These aircraft are now stored in Alice Springs, with one additional aircraft hibernating at Changi for a couple of years now.

Aircraft	Location	Last flew	Days ago
9V-SQJ	SIN	2 Aug 18	939
9V-SRF	ASP	30 Nov 19	454
9V-SRG	ASP	1 Feb 20	391
9V-SRH	ASP	23 Mar 20	340
9V-SRJ	ASP	7 Jun 20	264
9V-SRL	ASP	24 Mar 20	339
9V-SRP	ASP	24 Mar 20	339
9V-SRQ	ASP	15 Jun 20	256

Last flight and number of days shown reflects most recent passenger service with NokScoot in the case of SRF to SRQ. All these aircraft are for disposal.

Boeing 777-200ER

All 3 of the airline’s Boeing 777-200ERs are stored in Alice Springs, and are confirmed as for disposal.

Aircraft	Location	Last flew	Days ago
9V-SVB	ASP	17 Mar 20	346
9V-SVC	ASP	19 Mar 20	344
9V-SVE	ASP	21 Mar 20	342

Boeing 777-300

As mentioned in our November 2020 fleet update, Singapore Airlines has now ceased operating its last Boeing 777-300 (9V-SYJ), with all four remaining aircraft in the registered fleet flagged for disposal.

Aircraft	Location	Last flew	Days ago
9V-SYF	SIN	10 Apr 20	322
9V-SYH	SIN	5 May 20	297
9V-SYJ	SIN	29 Oct 20	120
9V-SYL	SIN	17 Jun 20	254

Boeing 777-300ER

Nine of SIA’s 27 Boeing 777-300ERs were active over the last two weeks, with the other 18 stored at Changi.

With availability of Airbus A350s and Boeing 787s now fairly stretched, these older aircraft are being used for a mixture of cargo-only and passenger services, roughly as follows:

• Cargo-only: Beijing, Shanghai, Surabaya, Tokyo, Yangon
• Passenger: Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh, Kuala Lumpur

The Boeing 777-300ER has completely taken over all passenger operations on Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh and Kuala Lumpur flights recently, though as mentioned the First Class cabin is not sold on these services.

Aircraft	Location	Last flew	Days ago
9V-SWA	SIN	29 Mar 20	334
9V-SWB	SIN	24 Mar 20	339
9V-SWD	SIN	19 Mar 20	344
9V-SWE	SIN	1 Feb 21	25
9V-SWF	SIN	28 Sep 20	151
9V-SWG	SIN	30 May 20	272
9V-SWH	SIN	26 Feb 21	0
9V-SWI	SIN	11 Feb 21	15
9V-SWJ	SIN	4 May 20	298
9V-SWK	SIN	13 Feb 21	13
9V-SWL	SIN	7 Jan 21	50
9V-SWM	SIN	13 Feb 21	13
9V-SWN	SIN	8 Feb 21	18
9V-SWO	SIN	26 Feb 21	0
9V-SWP	SIN	26 Feb 21	0
9V-SWQ	SIN	25 Feb 21	1
9V-SWR	SIN	24 Feb 21	2
9V-SWS	SIN	20 Feb 21	6
9V-SWT	SIN	25 Feb 21	1
9V-SWU	SIN	30 Apr 20	302
9V-SWV	SIN	13 Jun 20	258
9V-SWW	SIN	13 Jun 20	258
9V-SWY	SIN	5 Dec 20	83
9V-SWZ	SIN	27 Jun 20	244
9V-SNA	SIN	23 Jun 20	248
9V-SNB	SIN	16 Mar 20	347
9V-SNC	SIN	14 Jun 20	257

The nine active Boeing 777-300ERs in the fleet are flying only seven flights per week, in other words a round-trip every other day per aircraft on average.

Boeing 787-10

All of SIA’s 15 Boeing 787-10s are currently active, flying a mixture of passenger and cargo-only flights.

On average, each active Boeing 787-10 aircraft is currently flying eight flights per week.

Aircraft	Location	Last flew	Days ago
9V-SCA	SIN	26 Feb 21	0
9V-SCB	SIN	26 Feb 21	0
9V-SCC	SIN	25 Feb 21	1
9V-SCD	SIN	26 Feb 21	0
9V-SCE	SIN	23 Feb 21	3
9V-SCF	SIN	26 Feb 21	0
9V-SCG	SIN	26 Feb 21	0
9V-SCH	SIN	25 Feb 21	1
9V-SCI	SIN	21 Feb 21	5
9V-SCJ	SIN	26 Feb 21	0
9V-SCK	SIN	25 Feb 21	1
9V-SCL	SIN	24 Feb 21	2
9V-SCM	SIN	26 Feb 21	0
9V-SCN	SIN	26 Feb 21	0
9V-SCO	SIN	26 Feb 21	0

Alice Springs storage

27 Singapore Airlines Group aircraft remain in long-term storage at Alice Springs airport in Australia, where the hot, dry climate is far more conducive to preservation.

Two of SilkAir’s Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft (9V-MBA and 9V-MBF) have now been returned to Changi.

That leaves four of SilkAir’s six Boeing 737 MAX 8 jets at the facility, which have been grounded since mid-2019, but are in the process of being recertified for service.

We expect them to join the Singapore Airlines fleet later this year, which should also mean new flat-bed seats in Business Class.

SIA Group aircraft stored in Alice Springs
Airline	Aircraft	Total
	Airbus A380	7
	Boeing 777-200	7
	Boeing 777-200ER	3
	Boeing 737 MAX 8	4
	Airbus A320	3
	Boeing 787-8	3

With the remaining four SilkAir Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft due to leave the Alice Springs storage facility in the coming months, it will be interesting to see if the SIA Group retains its parking spots at the airport, which could perhaps mean more mainline aircraft like Airbus A380s heading south for better defence against the elements.

Future aircraft deliveries

Earlier this month, Singapore Airlines concluded its negotiations with Airbus and Boeing for deferring aircraft orders into subsequent years, significantly reducing its near-term capital expenditure.

As part of the deal with Boeing, the airline also swapped orders for 14 Boeing 787-10 aircraft to 11 of the Boeing 777-9 model, reducing the outstanding order book of 787s to 15, while increasing the total number of 777-9 orders to 31.

The latest SIA Group orders for fleet modernisation and replacement is as follows.

SIA Group Aircraft Orders

Additionally, Scoot has committed to taking 10 Airbus A321neo aircraft through leasing companies over the coming months, for a total of 16 such aircraft including its firm orders.

Confirmed upcoming Airbus A350 deliveries for SIA include:

• A350 Regional (9V-SHT)
• A350 Regional (9V-SHU)
• A350 Long-Haul (9V-SJB)
• A350 Regional (9V-SHV)

This will increase the A350 Regional fleet to at least 22, though as you can see there is also another 3-class version in the mix, which will be the 27th such variant.

Actual delivery order may differ and delivery dates are not known at the time of writing, with some of these aircraft still to perform initial test flights.

On the Boeing 787-10 side it’s a different story. Last month we reported how 9V-SCQ had made its first flight, however that aircraft has now been flown to Victorville in California for storage.

9V-SCP, the 1,000th Boeing 787 built, was looking well and truly ‘taped up’ in Charleston earlier this month.

The 1000th built @Boeing 787 sitting stored and undelivered on the Boeing South Carolina ramp. #Boeing #Aviation #Avgeek pic.twitter.com/BlNC484pRn

— Devin (@BoeingSCSpotter) February 4, 2021

Similarly two Boeing 787-8s destined for Scoot are now in storage, in Portland and Victorville respectively, so it looks as though delivery of these aircraft has been deferred for some time.

Summary

No major changes to the Singapore Airlines flight schedules between January and February 2021 means the operating fleet of active passenger aircraft, some of which are being deployed on cargo-only services, remains steady at around 72.

Airbus A350s and Boeing 787s are still doing the bulk of the flying, and while brand new Dreamliners for the fleet look some way away, there are indications of fresh Regional and Long-Haul A350 variants heading our way from the Toulouse factory in the coming months.

The next big change for the Singapore Airlines fleet will be the introduction of nine narrow-body Boeing 737-800 aircraft from SilkAir, marking what is set to be a new chapter in the carrier’s history, ultimately involving the introduction of the Boeing 737 MAX, decked out with new flat-bed Business Class seats.

(Cover Photo: Mathieu Marquer)