Singapore Airlines brings First Class back to Christchurch in 2027

Singapore Airlines has loaded a significant upgrade for its Christchurch route into the schedules for the 2027 northern summer season, with the four-class Boeing 777-300ER set to replace the three-class Airbus A350 Long Haul on the daily service from 1st May 2027.

That gives New Zealand’s South Island a First Class option for the first time since 2002, and marks the debut of the Boeing 777-300ER as a regularly scheduled aircraft type on the route.

It’s also the longest route to gain a First Class cabin since Amsterdam picked up the 777-300ER earlier this summer.

A 25-year gap

Singapore Airlines has been serving Christchurch for four decades. The inaugural flight, SQ388, touched down on 8th October 1986 operated by a Boeing 747-200, making SIA the first long-haul international carrier to serve the city. It ran weekly at first, returning to Singapore via Auckland.

The route built up steadily from there – twice weekly in 1988, three times weekly in 1992, four in 1995 and five by the end of the decade, before going daily in 2004. Seasonal supplementary flights over the New Zealand summer peak were added from 2013.

For the first 16 years of that history, a First Class cabin came as standard. The Boeing 747-200s that launched the route carried one, as did the Boeing 747-300s and -400s that followed in the 1990s, and even the smaller Airbus A340-300s that took over from 1997.

When the two-class Boeing 777-200ER took over the route in 2002 the First Class cabin disappeared, and it hasn’t been seen in Christchurch since. The Airbus A350 Long Haul, which replaced the 777-200ER from 7th January 2019 and brought Premium Economy to the route for the first time, tops out at Business Class.

Here’s how the fleet has evolved on the route:

Singapore Airlines Singapore ⇄ Christchurch  Aircraft Types
Period	Aircraft	First Class
1986 – 1990s	Boeing 747-200/-300	Yes
Mid-late 1990s	Boeing 747-400	Yes
1997 – 2002	Airbus A340-300	Yes
2002 – 2019	Boeing 777-200ER	No
2019 – 2027	Airbus A350 LH	No
From May 2027	Boeing 777-300ER	Yes

The schedule

Singapore Airlines currently operates a single daily service to and from Christchurch:

• SQ297/298 (A350 Long Haul)

From 1st May 2027, SQ297 will continue on a daily basis but will transition to the four-class Boeing 777-300ER, with SQ298 following from 2nd May 2027.

Singapore Christchurch
1 May 2027 – 24 Sep 2027

			Days
			M	T	W	T	F	S	S
	SQ297 777-300ER
SIN 19:50		CHC 09:30*
Duration: 09:40
	SQ298^ 777-300ER
CHC 10:50		SIN 17:40
Duration: 10:50

* Next day
^ SQ298: 2 May 2027 – 25 Sep 2027

At the time of writing, the 777-300ER is loaded on the route through to 24th September 2027 (25th September 2027 for SQ298), though flights are currently only bookable as far ahead as 17th August 2027, in line with the airline’s 355-day booking window.

The northern summer season is typically the quieter half of the year in this market, since it coincides with winter in New Zealand.

It’s worth noting that this comes on top of a capacity increase already confirmed for the northern winter 2026/27 season, when Singapore Airlines will serve Christchurch 10 times weekly, rising to 12 times weekly at peak – up from seven and 11 respectively a year earlier.

Air New Zealand also returns to the Singapore – Christchurch market from October 2026 with its new Business Class product, as we reported in May.

What changes on board

The 777-300ER doesn’t just offer a First Class section, it’s a bigger aircraft than the A350 Long Haul across almost every cabin, with only Economy Class taking a very slight trim in comparison.

Singapore ⇄ Christchurch Seat Counts (from 1st May 2027)
Cabin	Airbus A350 LH	Boeing 777-300ER	Change
First	–	4	+4
Business	42	48	+6
Premium Economy	24	28	+4
Economy	187	184	-3
Total	253	264	+11

That’s an extra six Business Class seats and four Premium Economy seats per flight, for the loss of just three in Economy – a slight tilt towards the premium end of the aircraft, and the same pattern we saw when the type replaced the A350 on many Auckland services in recent seasons.

Business Class passengers won’t notice much difference in the seat itself, since both aircraft carry the 2013 J product in a 1-2-1 layout, though the A350 Long Haul splits the cabin into a large forward section and a smaller four-row cabin, while the 777-300ER has a smaller three-row forward section and a larger cabin behind door two.

On a daily basis, the change adds 28 First Class seats per week to the New Zealand South Island market from Singapore.

Our First Class reviews

SIA’s 2013 First Class seat may not live up to ‘Suite standards’, but it remains one of our favourite products and we’ve always really enjoyed our trips in this cabin.

The intimate single-row section has only four seats in a 1-2-1 layout, including a large void behind the middle pair for the cabin crew to pass between the two aisles while remaining out of sight.

In mid-2018 we concluded our round-the-world trip in First Class on SQ1 from San Francisco to Singapore via Hong Kong in this excellent cabin, and had the chance to thoroughly review it including both a long-haul and short-haul experience across the two stages of the journey.

If you haven’t tried the product, while we probably don’t recommend parting with Advantage award rates, we don’t think you’d be disappointed at the Saver award rate, which is currently available on selected dates next year.

Here’s a more recent review of what you can expect in First Class post-pandemic, though practically all of the COVID restrictions in effect on this Frankfurt to Singapore flight in September 2021 have now been relaxed.

Aside from Suites on the A380, this First Class product is now the only one fitted to Singapore Airlines aircraft, following the retirement of older 2006 First Class seats on the carrier’s (non-ER) Boeing 777-300s.

An all-new First Class product is coming next year on new Boeing 777-9 aircraft and retrofitted Airbus A350 ULR aircraft, which will include closing privacy doors.

Book the Cook

Singapore Airlines offers Book the Cook on flights departing Christchurch, so the pre-ordering service is available in both directions of the journey.

Currently only Business Class benefits from the option out of Christchurch, but this should extend to First Class too once the Boeing 777-300ER takes over in May 2027.

Since March 2025, Singapore Airlines has offered seasonal menus curated by New Zealand chef Sid Sahrawat on flights departing Auckland and Christchurch, spotlighting South Island and wider New Zealand produce.

While Christchurch’s First Class Book the Cook menu has not been revealed yet (selections can only be made up to six weeks before departure), here’s Auckland’s list for reference, which is likely to be similar.

KrisFlyer awards

Here are the current KrisFlyer award rates for the Singapore – Christchurch route, including for the First Class cabin.

KrisFlyer Redemption Rates One-Way Singapore ⇄ Christchurch
Airline / Cabin		Saver	Advantage	Access
	Economy Class	29,000	60,500	87,000
	Premium Economy	53,500	n/a	77,000 to 94,500
	Business Class	72,000	103,500	133,500 to 213,500
	First Class	98,000	178,500	331,000

First Class Saver awards have been loaded on this route across many dates, allowing you to redeem for 98,000 KrisFlyer miles one-way.

Taxes and fees on this route come in at around S$105 in the Singapore – Christchurch direction and S$40 in the Christchurch – Singapore direction, though do note that you may be hit with New Zealand’s hefty tourism tax, plus Singapore’s new SAF Tax for bookings made from 1st October 2026.

Singapore Airlines is bringing First Class back to Christchurch for the first time in a quarter of a century, with the four-class Boeing 777-300ER replacing the Airbus A350 Long Haul on the daily SQ297/298 service from 1st May 2027.

It’s also a small capacity boost for the South Island in other premium cabins, with six more Business Class seats and four more in Premium Economy on each flight, at a cost of only three Economy seats.

The last time First Class flew this route, it was a 2-1-2 recliner cabin on an Airbus A340-300. Twenty-five years on, the replacement is rather better, even if it’s arguably an ageing product itself.

(Cover Photo: MainlyMiles)