Singapore Airlines Fleet: July 2021

This month Singapore Airlines handed back another Airbus A330 to its leasing company, brought its last Boeing 737 MAX out of storage in Australia, and test flew a repaired plane for the first time since it sustained damage 20 months ago.

Meanwhile there are signs in Charleston that the next Boeing 787-10 is being prepared for delivery, and overall the airline is now actively flying 95 of its aircraft, its highest total since COVID-19 decimated schedules.

With at least some border relaxations promised in the coming months as Singapore residents progressively become vaccinated against COVID-19, there’s finally light at the end of the tunnel for some quarantine-free discretionary and leisure travel.

That’s good news for the aircraft still in storage, which could be making their way back to the skies soon, including the flagship superjumbos.

Fleet totals

Here are the Singapore Airlines passenger fleet totals at 31st July 2021.

	CAAS Database:	154
	Awaiting certification: For disposal:	-6 -33
	In Service:	115
	In maintenance / stored:	-20
	Active:	95

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 115 planes at 31st July 2021, 95 of which were recently active.

  Click here to see the official CAAS list of registered aircraft in Singapore at 30th June 2021.

SIA Passenger Fleet at 31st July 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	2	0	0
A350-900	27	27	27
A350-900 Regional	22	22	22
A350-900 ULR	7	7	7
A380-800 v1	6	0	0
A380-800 v2	4	3	0
A380-800 v3	9	9	0
737-800	16	9	9
737-8 MAX	6	0	0
777-200	8	0	0
777-200ER	3	0	0
777-300	2	0	0
777-300ER	27	23	15
787-10	15	15	15
Total	154	115	95

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, four Boeing 777-300ERs and seven Boeing 737-800s.

These are therefore excluded from the ‘In Service’ column.

Additionally, all currently registered Boeing 737-8 MAX aircraft, which are awaiting re-certification, are excluded from the ‘In Service’ column for the time being.

This reflects a future fleet of 115 aircraft, plus future near-term deliveries of Airbus A350s, Boeing 737-8 MAXs and Boeing 787-10s.

Fleet activity

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’, from April 2020 to date.

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

SIA fleet activity timeline (2021)
	A350			B738	B77W	B787	Total
	LH	R	ULR
Jan	26	18	6	—	9	15	74
Feb	25	17	6	—	9	15	72
Mar	26	17	7	4	11	15	80
Apr	26	19	7	8	11	15	86
May	25	21	7	9	12	15	89
Jun	25	22	7	9	12	15	90
Jul	27	22	7	9	15	15	95

Here’s a graphical look at the active vs. stored fleet.

Here’s a look at how busy each aircraft fleet has been, based on active aircraft over the seven-day period from 21st July 2021 to 27th July 2021.

Type	Total flights per week	Average per active aircraft
		Flights per week	Daily utilisation
A350	235	9	12.1h
A350 R	299	14	10.8h
A350 ULR	29	4	10.2h
737-800	93	10	3.2h
777-300ER	101	7	6.0h
787-10	214	14	10.7h

Average fleet utilisation is similar by aircraft type compared to our June 2021 update. Long-Haul Airbus A350s continue to be the ‘workhorses’ in terms of daily flying hours per aircraft, though the other A350s and Boeing 787s aren’t far off.

July 2021 fleet movements

Here’s a summary of the notable movements we’ve seen in the fleet this month:

• Airbus A350 9V-SJB entered revenue service on 4th July as SQ708 from Singapore to Bangkok.
• Airbus A330 9V-SSI made its first test flight in over 18 months, following repairs to its tail area caused during a landing incident at Yangon in November 2019.
• Airbus A330 9V-SSG has been returned to its lessor and was flown to Alice Springs on 15th July for storage, with no known onward operator.
• Boeing 737-8 MAX 9V-MBB, the final example of the type still stored at Alice Springs, was returned to Changi on 15th July.
• Four more Boeing 737-800s were transferred to SIA from SilkAir, but they will not enter revenue service and instead will be sold.
• Airbus A380 9V-SKW was flown from Alice Springs to Sydney on 29th July, then back to Singapore following maintenance on 30th July.

Airbus A330s

Airbus A330 9V-SSG was de-registered and returned to its lessor, Ireland’s Fly Leasing, earlier this month. The aircraft was re-registered in Bermuda as VP-BUW and flown from Singapore to Alice Springs on 15th July 2021, where it is now in storage.

There are now only two Airbus A330s in the registered fleet, 9V-SSH and 9V-SSI, due for return to their lessors in approximately Aug/Sep and Sep/Oct respectively, at the end of their six-year lease periods.

Aircraft	Location	Last flew	Days ago
9V-SSH	SIN	28 Mar 20	490
9V-SSI	SIN	25 Nov 19	614

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

9V-SSI finally made an appearance this month, over a year and a half after sustaining tail damage during a landing incident in Yangon. The repair work was clearly evident when the aircraft took its one-hour test flight on 12th July.

Airbus A350s

The Airbus A350-900 long-haul fleet was fully active in July 2021, with all 27 aircraft flying revenue services over the last two weeks.

Aircraft	Location	Last flew	Days ago
9V-SMA	SIN	31 Jul 21	0
9V-SMB	SIN	30 Jul 21	1
9V-SMC	SIN	31 Jul 21	0
9V-SMD	SIN	31 Jul 21	0
9V-SME	SIN	30 Jul 21	1
9V-SMF	SIN	31 Jul 21	0
9V-SMG	SIN	30 Jul 21	1
9V-SMH	SIN	29 Jul 21	2
9V-SMI	SIN	30 Jul 21	1
9V-SMJ	SIN	30 Jul 21	1
9V-SMK	SIN	31 Jul 21	0
9V-SML	SIN	31 Jul 21	0
9V-SMM	SIN	30 Jul 21	1
9V-SMN	SIN	31 Jul 21	0
9V-SMO	SIN	31 Jul 21	0
9V-SMP	SIN	31 Jul 21	0
9V-SMQ	SIN	30 Jul 21	1
9V-SMR	SIN	31 Jul 21	0
9V-SMS	SIN	30 Jul 21	1
9V-SMT	SIN	30 Jul 21	1
9V-SMU	SIN	29 Jul 21	2
9V-SMV	SIN	22 Jul 21	9
9V-SMW	SIN	30 Jul 21	1
9V-SMY	SIN	30 Jul 21	1
9V-SMZ	SIN	29 Jul 21	2
9V-SJA	SIN	31 Jul 21	0
9V-SJB	SIN	30 Jul 21	1

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

9V-SJB is the 27th A350 Long Haul variant in the SIA fleet, entering service on 4th July following delivery in late June.

All Airbus A350-900 Regional aircraft were flying recently.

Aircraft	Location	Last flew	Days ago
9V-SHA	SIN	31 Jul 21	0
9V-SHB	SIN	31 Jul 21	0
9V-SHC	SIN	31 Jul 21	0
9V-SHD	SIN	31 Jul 21	0
9V-SHE	SIN	31 Jul 21	0
9V-SHF	SIN	30 Jul 21	1
9V-SHG	SIN	30 Jul 21	1
9V-SHH	SIN	31 Jul 21	0
9V-SHI	SIN	31 Jul 21	0
9V-SHJ	SIN	19 Jul 21	12
9V-SHK	SIN	31 Jul 21	0
9V-SHL	SIN	31 Jul 21	0
9V-SHM	SIN	31 Jul 21	0
9V-SHN	SIN	31 Jul 21	0
9V-SHO	SIN	31 Jul 21	0
9V-SHP	SIN	31 Jul 21	0
9V-SHQ	SIN	31 Jul 21	0
9V-SHR	SIN	30 Jul 21	1
9V-SHS	SIN	31 Jul 21	0
9V-SHT	SIN	31 Jul 21	0
9V-SHU	SIN	31 Jul 21	0
9V-SHV	SIN	31 Jul 21	0

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

All of the airline’s 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	29 Jul 21	2
9V-SGB	SIN	30 Jul 21	1
9V-SGC	SIN	29 Jul 21	2
9V-SGD	SIN	31 Jul 21	0
9V-SGE	SIN	28 Jul 21	3
9V-SGF	SIN	26 Jul 21	5
9V-SGG	SIN	30 Jul 21	1

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

Airbus A380s

As we recently reported, a Version 3 Airbus A380 has been returned to Singapore from storage in Alice Springs, leaving only six superjumbos in desert storage with the others all 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 to late October 2021.

The aircraft type provisionally reappears in the winter 2021/22 schedules (from late October / early November 2021), though that remains TBC, since many changes are likely as restrictions are lifted for travellers from specific countries.

Aircraft	Location	Last flew	Days ago
9V-SKF	SIN	24 Mar 20	494
9V-SKG	SIN	25 Mar 20	493
9V-SKH	SIN	22 Mar 20	496
9V-SKI	SIN	20 Mar 20	498
9V-SKJ	SIN	20 Mar 20	498
9V-SKK	ASP	21 Mar 20	497
9V-SKL	ASP	27 Mar 20	491
9V-SKM	SIN	21 Mar 20	497
9V-SKN	SIN	15 Oct 19	655
9V-SKP	ASP	24 Mar 20	494
9V-SKQ	SIN	26 Mar 20	492
9V-SKR	SIN	19 Mar 20	499
9V-SKS	SIN	12 Mar 20	506
9V-SKT	ASP	18 Mar 20	500
9V-SKU	SIN	25 Mar 20	493
9V-SKV	SIN	28 Mar 20	490
9V-SKW	SIN	26 Mar 20	492
9V-SKY	ASP	27 Mar 20	491
9V-SKZ	ASP	30 Mar 20	488

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

SIA has confirmed 12 of its A380 aircraft will be remaining under current plans for the post-COVID recovery, all to be fitted with new cabin products before returning to service.

With the latest A380 returned to Changi from Alice Springs already sporting the new cabin products, we’ve already surmised that some of these aircraft could be brought back into revenue service by the end of this year, if at least a few key border openings happen as planned.

Boeing 737-800s

All nine Boeing 737-800s that moved across from SilkAir to Singapore Airlines remain in service with the mainline carrier.

After three additional Boeing 737-800s were also transferred last month, another four were registered to SIA this month.

None of these will be operated by Singapore Airlines, as they are now in preparation for sale. The latest additions are 9V-MGG, 9V-MGI, 9V-MGO and 9V-MGQ.

Aircraft	Location	Last flew	Days ago
9V-MGA	SIN	31 Jul 21	0
9V-MGB	SIN	30 Jul 21	1
9V-MGC	SIN	27 Jul 21	4
9V-MGD	SIN	31 Jul 21	0
9V-MGE	SIN	30 Jul 21	1
9V-MGF	SIN	2 May 21	90
9V-MGG	SIN	5 May 21	87
9V-MGH	SIN	11 Apr 21	111
9V-MGI	SIN	6 May 21	86
9V-MGK	SIN	30 Jul 21	1
9V-MGL	SIN	29 Jul 21	2
9V-MGM	SIN	31 Jul 21	0
9V-MGN	SIN	30 Jul 21	1
9V-MGO	SIN	20 Mar 20	498
9V-MGP	SIN	20 Apr 21	102
9V-MGQ	SIN	27 Mar 20	491

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

SilkAir’s last passenger flight was on 6th May 2021, from Kathmandu to Singapore. Don’t miss our tribute to the regional subsidiary’s rich 29-year history.

Boeing 737-8 MAX

Since the June 2021 update, 9V-MBB has been relocated from Alice Springs to Singapore, meaning all six MAX aircraft are now either undergoing their cabin modifications or are ready for return to service.

Aircraft	Location	Last flew	Days ago
9V-MBA	SIN	11 Mar 19	873
9V-MBB	SIN	11 Mar 19	873
9V-MBC	SIN	10 Mar 19	874
9V-MBD	SIN	12 Mar 19	872
9V-MBE	SIN	11 Mar 19	873
9V-MBF	SIN	11 Mar 19	873

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

These aircraft have not flown passenger flights since early 2019, when the fleet was grounded by regulators due to safety concerns. Clearance for the MAXs to fly again in Singapore is expected in the coming months.

Eight further aircraft already built by Boeing and stored in the USA will join the fleet between now and March 2022.

Boeing 777-200 / -200ER / -300s

In 2020 SIA inherited back a set of seven Boeing 777-200s it was leasing to the now-defunct NokScoot. These aircraft were all initially stored in Alice Springs, with one additional aircraft hibernating at Changi for a couple of years now (9V-SQJ), after a failed sale attempt.

Aircraft	Location	Last flew	Days ago
9V-SQJ	SIN	2 Aug 18	1,094
9V-SRF	ASP	30 Nov 19	609
9V-SRG	ASP	1 Feb 20	546
9V-SRH	ASP	23 Mar 20	495
9V-SRJ	ASP	7 Jun 20	419
9V-SRL	ASP	24 Mar 20	494
9V-SRP	SIN	24 Mar 20	494
9V-SRQ	SIN	15 Jun 20	411

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

Both 9V-SRP and 9V-SRQ were returned from Alice Springs to Singapore in early April 2021, presumably in preparation for disposal / sale.

Last flight and number of days shown reflects most recent passenger service with NokScoot in the case of SRF to SRQ.

Meanwhile 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	501
9V-SVC	ASP	19 Mar 20	499
9V-SVE	ASP	21 Mar 20	497

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

There are still two retired Boeing 777-300 (non-ER) aircraft in the fleet, also for disposal.

Aircraft	Location	Last flew	Days ago
9V-SYF	SIN	10 Apr 20	477
9V-SYH	SIN	5 May 20	452

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

Boeing 777-300ERs

15 of SIA’s 27 Boeing 777-300ERs were active over the last two weeks, the highest level we’ve seen since the type was almost completely grounded at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic impact last year.

The other 12 aircraft are stored at Changi, though as we now know 9V-SWA, -SWD, -SWE and -SWF have been retired and will not rejoin the fleet, leaving only eight to be activated again.

Aircraft	Location	Last flew	Days ago
9V-SWA	SIN	29 Mar 20	489
9V-SWB	SIN	24 Mar 20	494
9V-SWD	SIN	19 Mar 20	499
9V-SWE	SIN	1 Feb 21	180
9V-SWF	SIN	28 Sep 20	306
9V-SWG	SIN	30 Jul 21	1
9V-SWH	SIN	30 Jul 21	1
9V-SWI	SIN	30 Jul 21	1
9V-SWJ	SIN	4 May 20	453
9V-SWK	SIN	24 Jul 21	7
9V-SWL	ASP	13 Mar 21	140
9V-SWM	SIN	22 Jul 21	9
9V-SWN	SIN	3 May 21	89
9V-SWO	SIN	31 Jul 21	0
9V-SWP	SIN	31 Jul 21	0
9V-SWQ	SIN	30 Jul 21	1
9V-SWR	SIN	30 Jul 21	1
9V-SWS	SIN	30 Jul 21	1
9V-SWT	SIN	29 Jul 21	2
9V-SWU	SIN	31 Jul 21	0
9V-SWV	SIN	30 Jul 21	1
9V-SWW	SIN	27 Jul 21	4
9V-SWY	SIN	5 Dec 20	238
9V-SWZ	SIN	31 Jul 21	0
9V-SNA	SIN	23 Jun 20	403
9V-SNB	SIN	16 Mar 20	502
9V-SNC	SIN	14 Jun 20	412

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

One of these aircraft, 9V-SWL, is stored at Alice Springs.

The Boeing 777-300ER fleet has been predominantly operating cargo-only flights for the last year or so, though these aircraft are now increasingly being used for passenger services too.

Routes include London, Sydney, Jakarta and Hong Kong, including a First Class cabin reintroduced last month for the first time in a year.

Boeing 787-10s

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

Aircraft	Location	Last flew	Days ago
9V-SCA	SIN	31 Jul 21	0
9V-SCB	SIN	30 Jul 21	1
9V-SCC	SIN	28 Jul 21	3
9V-SCD	SIN	31 Jul 21	0
9V-SCE	SIN	31 Jul 21	0
9V-SCF	SIN	31 Jul 21	0
9V-SCG	SIN	30 Jul 21	1
9V-SCH	SIN	31 Jul 21	0
9V-SCI	SIN	31 Jul 21	0
9V-SCJ	SIN	31 Jul 21	0
9V-SCK	SIN	31 Jul 21	0
9V-SCL	SIN	31 Jul 21	0
9V-SCM	SIN	31 Jul 21	0
9V-SCN	SIN	31 Jul 21	0
9V-SCO	SIN	31 Jul 21	0

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

Alice Springs storage

With the last remaining Boeing 737 MAX and one additional Airbus A380 flown back to Singapore from Alice Springs this month, there are now 21 group aircraft in storage there, as outlined in the following table.

SIA Group aircraft stored in Alice Springs
Airline	Aircraft	Total
	Airbus A380	6
	Boeing 777-200	5
	Boeing 777-200ER	3
	Boeing 777-300ER	1
	Airbus A320	3
	Boeing 787-8	3

Some of these (like the Airbus A380 Version 3 aircraft) will be returned to service, while some others (like the Boeing 777-200ERs) will eventually be sold.

Fleet development plan

Based on the latest CAAS aircraft register at 30th June 2021, recent deliveries, and SIA’s latest financial update, here’s how the registered SIA fleet should develop over the next eight months, between now and March 2022.

Registered Passenger Aircraft Fleet

Aircraft Type	Fleet Totals
	31 Jul 2021	Leaving	Joining	31 Mar 2022
A330-300	2	2		—
A350-900	27		2	58
A350-900 Regional	22
A350-900 ULR	7
A380-800	19	7		12
737-8 MAX	6		8	14
737-800 NG	16	7		9
777-200	8	8		—
777-200ER	3	3		—
777-300	2	2		—
777-300ER	27	4		23
787-10	15		5	20
All Types	154	33	15	136

Aside from the remaining Airbus A330s, which will be returned to their lessors by Q3 2021, this table assumes that other aircraft being withdrawn will have been formally deregistered by 31st March 2022. That might not be the case, though either way they certainly won’t be returned to revenue service.

Here’s how the latest total SIA Group orders for fleet modernisation and replacement looks.

SIA Group Orders
(incl. via lessors)

The next Boeing 787-10 may be arriving soon

The bulk of SIA’s wide-body deliveries over the next eight months comprises five new Boeing 787-10s. Activity has been dormant for a while, with the next aircraft due for delivery (9V-SCP) all wrapped up for storage over in Charleston last time we saw, in February this year.

This week, however, the aircraft has been brought back to life. It is the 1,000th Boeing 787 built, and carries a commemorative decal near its nose reflecting this.

9V-SCP took a 2 hour 40 minute test flight at Charleston on 30th July 2021, its second test flight overall, suggesting it is almost certainly moving towards delivery preparation.

We wouldn’t be surprised to see this one arrive at Changi in August or September, with the next four progressively being delivered by March next year.

The last new Boeing 787-10 received by the airline, 9V-SCO, arrived 20 months ago, in December 2019.

Overall, SIA is now actively flying 95 passenger aircraft, its highest since schedules were slashed in April 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic decimated schedules to just 4% of usual flying.

With high vaccination rates meaning quarantine-free travel is now on the horizon, there should be further improvements in the months ahead, perhaps even including revenue services with the Airbus A380 making a comeback before the end of the year.

All six Boeing 737-8 MAX aircraft have now been relocated from storage in Alice Springs this month, an aircraft we’re eager to see back in the schedules with its new narrow-body Business Class seat, offering a short-haul flat-bed option.

Stay tuned for the next fleet update in August 2021.

(Cover Photo: zkarj via Flickr)