Where is Singapore Airlines flying its Boeing 737 MAX?

Singapore Airlines hasn’t really been known as a narrow-body operator for the last three decades or so, maintaining an all-wide-body fleet since Boeing 757s left the airline back in 1990. That all changed when the carrier absorbed full-service regional carrier SilkAir, and along with it smaller Boeing 737-800s and later Boeing 737-8 MAX jets.

The Boeing 737-800s, on 10-year leases and originally earmarked for Scoot until the MAX was temporarily grounded and those plans had to shift, finally left the fleet for pastures new in 2025, but the MAX fleet has continued to grow and now stands 26-strong, following six new deliveries in 2026 alone.

These jets marked the debut of the latest flat-bed Regional Business Class and upgraded Economy Class seats for the narrow-body fleet, initially launched on flights to and from Phuket.

While a total of 37 MAXs were originally set to join the airline, in May 2023 SIA announced a 20% cut in its total order for the type, meaning only 29 will eventually be delivered, so there are just three more to come.

With the IATA northern winter 2026/27 schedules now confirmed, it’s a good time to revisit where the MAXs are flying on the network, whether you’re trying to snag an experience with the new cabin products, or you’re simply avoiding the type altogether!

At its peak this winter, the Boeing 737-8 MAX will operate up to 714 of SIA’s 2,530 weekly passenger flights. That’s more than one in four (28%), the highest share for the narrow-body fleet to date.

Route changes

For winter 2026/27 there are several changes to the route network for SIA’s Boeing 737-8 MAX aircraft compared to the summer, including three new destinations for MAX network.

Cairns gets the MAX from 1st December 2026, replacing the Airbus A350 Medium Haul on daily SQ203/204 flights for the first time since 2024. That will make it the newest MAX-exclusive destination on the network.

Ho Chi Minh City joins the MAX network from 25th October 2026, with two daily MAX rotations (SQ178/177 and SQ188/187) operating alongside the wide-body Airbus A350 Long Haul and Boeing 787-10 flights on the route.

Manila picked up a daily MAX rotation on SQ912/919 from 1st August 2026. From 25th October 2026 the MAX switches to SQ916/921, with all other flights on the route remaining wide-body.

Bali regains its Boeing 737-8 MAX flights from 25th October 2026, with up to three daily MAX rotations (SQ934/935, SQ946/947 and SQ948/949) alongside Boeing 787-10 services, as the route sees a sharp 20% capacity cut.

Colombo goes the other way, losing its MAX-operated SQ462/463 flights after 24th October 2026 and becoming an all-Boeing 787 route. Chengdu stays all-787 this winter, while the second daily Dhaka flight, planned to be operated by the MAX alongside the existing daily Boeing 787 from 1st August 2026, never went ahead.

Frequencies on several existing MAX routes also increase:

• Da Nang goes from double to triple daily, with the addition of SQ176/175.
• Phuket goes from five to six daily flights, with the addition of SQ724/723, though that’s its usual winter frequency hike.
• Cochin and Siem Reap each see their second MAX rotation go from three weekly to daily.
• Yangon’s second rotation (SQ764/763) grows from three to five weekly, also on the MAX.
• Kathmandu becomes all-MAX between 30th November 2026 and 28th February 2027.
• Phnom Penh becomes all-MAX from January 2027.

A few routes see less of the type.

Kuala Lumpur’s SQ108/107 switches from the MAX to the Airbus A350 Long Haul from 25th October 2026. Kolkata drops from daily MAX flights to two weekly until the end of December, then four weekly from January, with the Airbus A350 Medium Haul slotting in on the other days.

Here’s how SIA’s Boeing 737-8 MAX route map looks between October 2026 and March 2027.

The longest flights for the MAX stretch to 6 hours 50 minutes, between Busan and Singapore on SQ615, with the new Cairns flights close behind at up to 6 hours 45 minutes.

Meanwhile the shortest hops are to and from Kuala Lumpur, taking as little as 1 hour 10 minutes gate-to-gate.

Schedules

You can expand the schedule boxes below for each of SIA’s confirmed 737-8 MAX destinations, to see which flights the aircraft is operating on, including timings and days of operation through to the end of the northern winter schedule on 27th March 2027.

We’ve also highlighted where there are non-MAX alternatives on the route, for those looking to avoid the type, though 14 cities on the network will be exclusive to the MAX this winter.

By late October 2026, SIA will have 342 weekly departures from Changi using the Boeing 737-8 MAX, rising to 357 at the peak of the season in January and February 2027.

Out of a total of around 1,265 weekly departures across all fleets, that means up to 28% of the airline’s flights (more than one in four) will be flown by the MAX.

MAX-exclusive routes

14 routes on the SIA network this northern winter 2026/27 season will be exclusive to the Boeing 737-8 MAX.

• Brunei
• Busan
• Cebu
• Chongqing
• Cochin
• Da Nang
• Darwin
• Medan
• Penang
• Phuket
• Shenzhen
• Siem Reap
• Xiamen
• Yangon

Additionally two cities will shift to all-MAX operation part-way through the season:

• Cairns (from 1st December 2026)
• Phnom Penh (from 1st January 2027)

How to tell if your flight is on the MAX

Aside from the schedule tables above, Singapore Airlines identifies the Boeing 737-8 MAX in its booking engine when you search for a flight or award redemption, either through the website or mobile app.

Simply click ‘More details’ for the flight(s) displayed in the search results to reveal the aircraft type.

If you’re using a search tool like ExpertFlyer, you can identify the Boeing 737-8 MAX in the search results by its IATA aircraft type designator “7M8”.

If you’re checking for the Boeing 737-8 MAX on a flight tracking site like FlightRadar24, you may see it referred to by its ICAO aircraft type designator, which is a little more strange: “B38M”.

Most third-party booking sites like Kayak will also clearly show if your flight is operated by the MAX.

The SIA MAX fleet

The current Singapore Airlines fleet of 26 Boeing 737-8 MAX aircraft is outlined in the table below.

Singapore Airlines Boeing 737 MAX Fleet
Registration	Age (Oct 2026)	SIA First Pax Service
9V-MBA	9.1 yrs	28 Nov 2021 (SIN-HKT)
9V-MBB	9.0 yrs	6 Dec 2021 (SIN-PNH)
9V-MBC	8.8 yrs	23 Nov 2021 (SIN-HKT)
9V-MBD	8.5 yrs	17 Dec 2021 (SIN-KUL)
9V-MBE	8.5 yrs	4 Dec 2021 (SIN-HKT)
9V-MBF	7.6 yrs	24 Nov 2021 (SIN-HKT)
9V-MBG	7.6 yrs	1 Feb 2022 (SIN-KUL)
9V-MBH	7.4 yrs	22 Mar 2022 (SIN-KUL)
9V-MBI	7.3 yrs	10 Apr 2022 (SIN-KUL)
9V-MBJ	7.2 yrs	30 Apr 2022 (SIN-KUL)
9V-MBK	7.1 yrs	2 Jun 2022 (SIN-HKT)
9V-MBL	7.0 yrs	25 Apr 2023 (SIN-REP)
9V-MBM	6.9 yrs	20 Nov 2022 (SIN-KUL)
9V-MBN	6.8 yrs	7 Jul 2022 (SIN-KUL)
9V-MBO	4.3 yrs	15 Sep 2022 (SIN-KUL)
9V-MBP	3.9 yrs	22 Dec 2022 (SIN-PNH)
9V-MBQ	1.4 yrs	9 Jul 2025 (SIN-BWN)
9V-MBR	1.4 yrs	1 Aug 2025 (SIN-KUL)
9V-MBS	1.2 yrs	26 Sep 2025 (SIN-SUB)
9V-MBT	1.0 yrs	7 Jan 2026 (SIN-HKT)
9V-MBU	0.7 yrs	12 Mar 2026 (SIN-HKT)
9V-MBV	0.6 yrs	30 Apr 2026 (SIN-HKT)
9V-MBW	0.4 yrs	19 Jun 2026 (SIN-KTI)
9V-MBY	0.3 yrs	24 Jul 2026 (SIN-KTI)
9V-MBZ	0.3 yrs	21 Aug 2026 (SIN-KTI)
9V-MCA	0.1 yrs	Yet to enter service

Three more Boeing 737-8 MAX aircraft are due to join the airline, for a final fleet of 29, but there are no more deliveries planned until at least April 2027, so there won’t be any additions to the fleet during the upcoming winter season.

Growth of this fleet has already seen the complete replacement of the carrier’s Boeing 737-800s, with subsequent deliveries now allowing for further fleet expansion.

Cabin products

SIA’s Boeing 737-8 MAX aircraft have relatively new cabin products, first launched in late 2021, including MAX RJ, the Thompson Vantage Business Class seats exclusive to this type.

Sadly direct aisle access is not guaranteed for all Business Class passengers, due to the peculiar 2-2, 1-1, 2-2 layout in this cabin.

That does mean there are two “throne” seat options, but unfortunately Singapore Airlines now holds these back for advance selection by PPS Club members, while seats 11C and 11H are blocked as bassinet positions for those with an infant in their booking, until 96 hours before departure in both cases.

That means that unless you are a PPS Club member or have an infant in your booking, only six out of the ten seats in Business Class on these aircraft will be available for you to select, even if you are the first to book.

Wi-Fi is also available in both Business Class and Economy Class on these aircraft (and remember, it’s now an ‘all-you-can-eat’ allowance in Business Class, and even in Economy for KrisFlyer members). Unfortunately SIA’s 737 MAXs are not included in the airline’s Starlink Wi-Fi upgrade plans.

Here are our dedicated articles covering the cabins, to help you know what to expect on board.

Do bear in mind that on routes with both MAXs and wide-body aircraft operating, like the Boeing 787-10s and Airbus A350s on Bali, Guangzhou, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, you’ll generally get a better experience in both cabins on the larger aircraft, compared to the 737 MAX.

The differences here include direct aisle access regardless of your seat allocation in Business Class, plus a wider seat, while in Economy Class there’s more legroom and recline, plus AC charging sockets, on the wide-body jets.

These aspects may not make a huge difference on shorter routes, but as the MAXs stretch their legs to more distant cities like Cairns, at up to 6 hours 45 minutes, the differences will certainly be worth noting where you have a choice on your route.

The Singapore Airlines Boeing 737-8 MAX will operate more than one in four of the carrier’s flights each week at the peak of this northern winter season, across 28 destinations.

With Ho Chi Minh City joining the MAX network, Bali regaining the type from 25th October, and Cairns following on 1st December, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to avoid the MAX (if that’s your strategy).

14 cities will see exclusively 737-8 MAX operation all season, including Busan, Da Nang, Darwin, Medan, Penang, Phuket and Xiamen, with Cairns and Phnom Penh joining that list part-way through.

The MAX fleet now stands at 26 aircraft, with the final three not due until April 2027 at the earliest, so expect the type to keep branching out to new routes as the northern summer 2027 schedule takes shape.

(Cover Photo: Plane’s Portrait Aviation Media / Malcolm Lu)