Singapore Airlines Fleet: August 2021

This month we learned that Singapore Airlines has managed to sell seven of its surplus Boeing 737-800 aircraft fairly quickly, with the jets now set to enjoy a new lease of life with Virgin Australia. The aircraft had been inherited by the mainline carrier following a merger with SilkAir earlier this year.

In other news some of the Airbus A350s have been enjoying some extra work for the military, with trips to Idaho, USA and Paya Lebar Air Force Base this month, in addition to their usual duties.

The penultimate Airbus A330 also looks set to make an imminent final departure.

Fleet totals

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

	CAAS Database:	154
	Awaiting certification: For disposal:	-6 -33
	In Service:	115
	In maintenance / stored:	-24
	Active:	91

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 August 2021, 91 of which were recently active.

  Click here to see the official CAAS list of registered aircraft in Singapore at 2nd August 2021.

SIA Passenger Fleet at 31st August 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	11
787-10	15	15	15
Total	154	115	91

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
Aug	27	22	7	9	11	15	91

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 August 2021 to 27th August 2021.

Type	Total flights per week	Average per active aircraft
		Flights per week	Daily utilisation
A350	240	9	12.8h
A350 R	303	14	10.5h
A350 ULR	30	4	9.7h
737-800	92	10	3.1h
777-300ER	100	9	7.7h
787-10	214	15	11.5h

Average fleet utilisation is similar by aircraft type compared to our recent updates. 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.

With fewer Boeing 777-300ERs in active service this month but the same flying network for the aircraft type, utilisation has increased towards 8 hours per aircraft per day.

August 2021 fleet movements

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

• Airbus A350 ULR 9V-SGG operated an interesting charter for the Singapore Air Force on 25th and 26th August 2021, routing from Singapore to Sydney, then Sydney to Paya Lebar Airport, then back home to Changi.
• Airbus A350 9V-SMW operated from Singapore non-stop to Boise, Idaho, USA then returned via San Francisco on 18th August 2021 before flying the same routing again on 28th August 2021. These are likely to be military charters.
• Airbus A330 9V-SSH made a test flight in all-white livery on 12th August 2021, suggesting it is being prepared for imminent return to its lessor.

Ex-SilkAir 737-800s sold to Virgin Australia

Earlier this month Virgin Australia announced that it had secured an additional nine Boeing 737-800s to meet its expansion goals.

Two of those aircraft are former Virgin Australia jets, while the remaining seven have been acquired from Singapore Airlines and are ex SilkAir aircraft that had been marketed for sale earlier this year.

These aircraft are all currently registered to Singapore Airlines, except 9V-MGJ, which is still registered to SilkAir.

9V-MGI operated the final SilkAir passenger flight from Kathmandu to Singapore on 6th May 2021.

The acquisition of these relatively young aircraft will help Virgin Australia reduce its average fleet age, which currently stands at from 10 years.

The aircraft will be refitted with Virgin’s cabin product.

“These extra aircraft are an important part of our planning and ensure we’re ready to ramp up flying and meet the pent-up demand for domestic travel as soon as the opportunity presents itself.”

Jayne Hrdlicka, CEO, Virgin Australia

The sale of these seven aircraft will leave Singapore Airlines with only one Boeing 737-800 to dispose of, 9V-MGO.

Airbus A330s

There are still just 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	521
9V-SSI	SIN	25 Nov 19	645

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

9V-SSH took a test flight on 12th August in all-white livery and should be heading off to another home soon, leaving only 9V-SSI to complete the process.

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 Aug 21	0
9V-SMB	SIN	30 Aug 21	1
9V-SMC	SIN	30 Aug 21	1
9V-SMD	SIN	31 Aug 21	0
9V-SME	SIN	31 Aug 21	0
9V-SMF	SIN	31 Aug 21	0
9V-SMG	SIN	31 Aug 21	0
9V-SMH	SIN	29 Aug 21	2
9V-SMI	SIN	31 Aug 21	0
9V-SMJ	SIN	31 Aug 21	0
9V-SMK	SIN	29 Aug 21	2
9V-SML	SIN	31 Aug 21	0
9V-SMM	SIN	31 Aug 21	0
9V-SMN	SIN	30 Aug 21	1
9V-SMO	SIN	19 Aug 21	12
9V-SMP	SIN	31 Aug 21	0
9V-SMQ	SIN	30 Aug 21	1
9V-SMR	SIN	31 Aug 21	0
9V-SMS	SIN	31 Aug 21	0
9V-SMT	SIN	31 Aug 21	0
9V-SMU	SIN	30 Aug 21	1
9V-SMV	SIN	31 Aug 21	0
9V-SMW	SIN	29 Aug 21	2
9V-SMY	SIN	30 Aug 21	1
9V-SMZ	SIN	29 Aug 21	2
9V-SJA	SIN	31 Aug 21	0
9V-SJB	SIN	31 Aug 21	0

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

Similarly, all Airbus A350-900 Regional aircraft were flying recently.

Aircraft	Location	Last flew	Days ago
9V-SHA	SIN	30 Aug 21	1
9V-SHB	SIN	31 Aug 21	0
9V-SHC	SIN	31 Aug 21	0
9V-SHD	SIN	31 Aug 21	0
9V-SHE	SIN	31 Aug 21	0
9V-SHF	SIN	31 Aug 21	0
9V-SHG	SIN	30 Aug 21	1
9V-SHH	SIN	31 Aug 21	0
9V-SHI	SIN	30 Aug 21	1
9V-SHJ	SIN	29 Aug 21	2
9V-SHK	SIN	31 Aug 21	0
9V-SHL	SIN	31 Aug 21	0
9V-SHM	SIN	31 Aug 21	0
9V-SHN	SIN	30 Aug 21	1
9V-SHO	SIN	31 Aug 21	0
9V-SHP	SIN	28 Aug 21	3
9V-SHQ	SIN	31 Aug 21	0
9V-SHR	SIN	30 Aug 21	1
9V-SHS	SIN	31 Aug 21	0
9V-SHT	SIN	29 Aug 21	2
9V-SHU	SIN	31 Aug 21	0
9V-SHV	SIN	30 Aug 21	1

‘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 Aug 21	2
9V-SGB	SIN	30 Aug 21	1
9V-SGC	SIN	29 Aug 21	2
9V-SGD	SIN	28 Aug 21	3
9V-SGE	SIN	28 Aug 21	3
9V-SGF	SIN	30 Aug 21	1
9V-SGG	SIN	31 Aug 21	0

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

Airbus A380s

No revenue flights with the Airbus A380s have been flown since March 2020, with only some recent shuffling between Singapore and Alice Springs, via Sydney for maintenance.

The aircraft type provisionally reappears in the winter 2021/22 schedules (from 31st October 2021), though that remains TBC, since many changes are likely as restrictions are lifted for travellers to and from specific countries.

Aircraft	Location	Last flew	Days ago
9V-SKF	SIN	24 Mar 20	525
9V-SKG	SIN	25 Mar 20	524
9V-SKH	SIN	22 Mar 20	527
9V-SKI	SIN	20 Mar 20	529
9V-SKJ	SIN	20 Mar 20	529
9V-SKK	ASP	21 Mar 20	528
9V-SKL	ASP	27 Mar 20	522
9V-SKM	SIN	21 Mar 20	528
9V-SKN	SIN	15 Oct 19	686
9V-SKP	ASP	24 Mar 20	525
9V-SKQ	SIN	26 Mar 20	523
9V-SKR	SIN	19 Mar 20	530
9V-SKS	SIN	12 Mar 20	537
9V-SKT	ASP	18 Mar 20	531
9V-SKU	SIN	25 Mar 20	524
9V-SKV	SIN	28 Mar 20	521
9V-SKW	SIN	26 Mar 20	523
9V-SKY	ASP	27 Mar 20	522
9V-SKZ	ASP	30 Mar 20	519

‘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.

Boeing 737-800s

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

Six of the remaining seven aircraft that were transferred are now in preparation for sale and transfer to Virgin Australia, as mentioned earlier in the article, leaving only 9V-MGO for SIA to dispose of.

Aircraft	Location	Last flew	Days ago
9V-MGA	SIN	28 Aug 21	3
9V-MGB	SIN	20 Aug 21	11
9V-MGC	SIN	30 Aug 21	1
9V-MGD	SIN	29 Aug 21	2
9V-MGE	SIN	31 Aug 21	0
9V-MGF	SIN	2 May 21	121
9V-MGG	SIN	5 May 21	118
9V-MGH	SIN	11 Apr 21	142
9V-MGI	SIN	6 May 21	117
9V-MGK	SIN	31 Aug 21	0
9V-MGL	SIN	31 Aug 21	0
9V-MGM	SIN	27 Aug 21	4
9V-MGN	SIN	31 Aug 21	0
9V-MGO	SIN	20 Mar 20	529
9V-MGP	SIN	20 Apr 21	133
9V-MGQ	SIN	27 Mar 20	522

‘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

All six of SIA’s Boeing 737-8 MAX aircraft are at Changi undergoing their cabin modifications and awaiting recertification from the regulator.

Aircraft	Location	Last flew	Days ago
9V-MBA	SIN	11 Mar 19	904
9V-MBB	SIN	11 Mar 19	904
9V-MBC	SIN	10 Mar 19	905
9V-MBD	SIN	12 Mar 19	903
9V-MBE	SIN	11 Mar 19	904
9V-MBF	SIN	11 Mar 19	904

‘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 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	1,125
9V-SRF	ASP	30 Nov 19	640
9V-SRG	ASP	1 Feb 20	577
9V-SRH	ASP	23 Mar 20	526
9V-SRJ	ASP	7 Jun 20	450
9V-SRL	ASP	24 Mar 20	525
9V-SRP	SIN	24 Mar 20	525
9V-SRQ	SIN	15 Jun 20	442

‘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	532
9V-SVC	ASP	19 Mar 20	530
9V-SVE	ASP	21 Mar 20	528

‘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	508
9V-SYH	SIN	5 May 20	483

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

Boeing 777-300ERs

11 of SIA’s 27 Boeing 777-300ERs were active over the last two weeks, a slight drop compared to our last update.

The other 16 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 12 to be activated again.

Aircraft	Location	Last flew	Days ago
9V-SWA	SIN	29 Mar 20	520
9V-SWB	SIN	24 Mar 20	525
9V-SWD	SIN	19 Mar 20	530
9V-SWE	SIN	1 Feb 21	211
9V-SWF	SIN	28 Sep 20	337
9V-SWG	SIN	27 Aug 21	4
9V-SWH	SIN	31 Aug 21	0
9V-SWI	SIN	30 Aug 21	1
9V-SWJ	SIN	4 May 20	484
9V-SWK	SIN	1 Aug 21	30
9V-SWL	ASP	13 Mar 21	171
9V-SWM	SIN	23 Jul 21	39
9V-SWN	SIN	3 May 21	120
9V-SWO	SIN	30 Aug 21	1
9V-SWP	SIN	31 Aug 21	0
9V-SWQ	SIN	28 Aug 21	3
9V-SWR	SIN	29 Aug 21	2
9V-SWS	SIN	14 Aug 21	17
9V-SWT	SIN	14 Aug 21	17
9V-SWU	SIN	30 Aug 21	1
9V-SWV	SIN	29 Aug 21	2
9V-SWW	SIN	30 Aug 21	1
9V-SWY	SIN	5 Dec 20	269
9V-SWZ	SIN	31 Aug 21	0
9V-SNA	SIN	23 Jun 20	434
9V-SNB	SIN	16 Mar 20	533
9V-SNC	SIN	14 Jun 20	443

‘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 Aug 21	0
9V-SCB	SIN	30 Aug 21	1
9V-SCC	SIN	31 Aug 21	0
9V-SCD	SIN	30 Aug 21	1
9V-SCE	SIN	28 Aug 21	3
9V-SCF	SIN	31 Aug 21	0
9V-SCG	SIN	31 Aug 21	0
9V-SCH	SIN	31 Aug 21	0
9V-SCI	SIN	30 Aug 21	1
9V-SCJ	SIN	31 Aug 21	0
9V-SCK	SIN	31 Aug 21	0
9V-SCL	SIN	31 Aug 21	0
9V-SCM	SIN	31 Aug 21	0
9V-SCN	SIN	31 Aug 21	0
9V-SCO	SIN	31 Aug 21	0

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

Alice Springs storage

There are currently 21 SIA group aircraft in storage at Alice Springs, 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 2nd August 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
	2 Aug 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 soon, 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 has been relocated

Last month we noted how 9V-SCP, the 16th Boeing 787-10 for Singapore Airlines and the 1,000th Boeing 787 built, was brought back into action on a 2 hour 40 minute test flight at Charleston in late July 2021, following a long period of storage.

On 2nd August 2021 there was another flight, but this time a relocation of the aircraft to another Boeing facility in San Antonio, Texas.

It’s not clear if the aircraft has been moved to a new storage location or for maintenance work in preparation for delivery.

Either way we’re still due to see 9V-SCP and four other new Boeing 787-10 deliveries in the next seven months, so there shouldn’t be too long to wait.

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

Singapore Airlines is no doubt happy that a relatively buoyant market still exists for its surplus ex-SilkAir Boeing 737-800s, with a sale deal that will see seven of these aircraft moving across to Virgin Australia in the months ahead.

Overall, SIA is now actively flying 91 passenger aircraft, including practically all its Airbus A350s and Boeing 787s.

With 80% vaccination now achieved in Singapore, signalling a move to ‘endemic COVID’, and the first quarantine-free travel lane starting next week with Germany, there’s cause for optimism that other stored aircraft can be reactivated soon, possibly even including Airbus A380 services before the end of the year.

Stay tuned for the next fleet update in September 2021.

(Cover Photo: Julian Herzog)