Goodbye, Singapore Airlines Boeing 737-800s

At 6.19 a.m this morning, 9V-MGN, operating as SQ441 from Kathmandu, landed at Singapore Changi Airport. It taxied to the terminal, offloaded its passengers and baggage, and will soon be towed into the annals of history.

SQ441 marks Singapore Airlines’ final scheduled flight of a Boeing 737-800, and caps a strange little period where it was practically forced to operate an aircraft it never really wanted.

With creaky recliner seats in Business Class, no inflight entertainment screens, and no Wi-Fi, the Boeing 737-800 offered a largely analogue experience. I’ll always love how SIA’s website tried to spin it: “As the 737-800NG does not feature internet connectivity, indulge in a leisurely reading break.”

SIA knew that these aircraft fell well short of what its passengers had come to expect, and shunted them to its shortest or lowest-yield routes, the aviation equivalent of throwing a towel over the stained couch before guests come over and hoping no one peeks underneath.

While it’s not beyond the realm of possibility that 9V-MGN might be reactivated to cover an unexpected maintenance issue, as we transition into the IATA Northern Winter Season, Singapore Airlines can finally claim “a flat bed for every Business Class seat, and Wi-Fi on every plane”.

Goodbye, Boeing 737-800s!

Singapore Airlines had previously confirmed its plans to retire its four remaining B737-800s by 31 March 2026, the end of the current financial year. 

However, the final lease on the B737-800 actually terminates in January 2026, and the aircraft needs to stop flying ahead of that date, to prepare it for return.

The B737-800s will be replaced by new arrivals of the B737-8 MAX, of which the airline currently has 19 (plus a further 10 on order). These offer a much superior passenger experience, with full-flat beds in Business Class, and personal inflight entertainment screens and Wi-Fi throughout the cabin (ironically though, the B737-800 offers power outlets in Economy Class, whereas the B737-8 MAX only has USB charging ports).

✈️ Business Class on Boeing 737-800 vs 737-8 MAX
	B737-800	B737-8 MAX
Seats	12	10
Layout	2-2 2-2 2-2	2-2 1-1 2-2
Seat Width	21″	19-22″
Seat Pitch	39″	44″
Bed Length	N/A	76″
Recline	8″	Full flat
IFE Screen	N/A	16″
Power Outlets	1x power outlet 1x USB port	1x power outlet 2x USB ports
Wi-Fi	N/A	Free
Nostalgia Factor	Off the charts	N/A

Singapore Airlines has already retired five B737-800s over the past three years as their leases expired, which are now operated by REX Airlines and Virgin Australia. The four remaining aircraft that SIA started FY25/26 with — 9V-MGK, 9V-MGL, 9V-MGM, and 9V-MGN — were first delivered to SilkAir in 2015 and are more than a decade old.

All these aircraft have been acquired or will be acquired by Qantas, which is leasing them to provide “bridging capacity” due to delays in the arrival of its new fleet of Airbus A321XLRs. Qantas intends to refit them with new interiors, though it’s nothing cutting-edge from what I can see.

What does this mean for Singapore Airlines?

With the retirement of the B737-800s, Singapore Airlines can now make several promises.

Flat bed seats throughout Business Class

Singapore Airlines had previously planned to offer flat bed Business Class seats across its fleet by early 2020, as it inherited SilkAir’s Boeing 737-8 MAX aircraft and outfitted them with Thomson Aero Vantage lie-flat seats. However, the global Boeing 737-8 MAX grounding threw a spanner into the works, and instead of transferring SilkAir’s Boeing 737-800s to Scoot, it had to take them for itself.

With the retirement, SIA Business Class passengers are now guaranteed a flat bed seat, even on the shortest of flights to Kuala Lumpur. 

That said, SIA will not be able to claim direct aisle access for all Business Class passengers, because of the 2-2, 1-1, 2-2 layout on its B737-8 MAX that only offers it to 60% of the cabin.

Personal IFE screens across the fleet

SIA’s Boeing 737-800s were not equipped with personal IFE screens, either in Business or Economy Class. Instead, passengers could stream entertainment to their tablets or phones— when the system was working. 

The retirement means that every SIA aircraft will now offer a personal IFE screen. However, SIA can’t quite claim to have live TV across its fleet yet, because it’s not offered on the Airbus A350-900MH, A380-800s and selected Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. 

Wi-Fi across the fleet

The Boeing 737-800s were the only aircraft in the Singapore Airlines fleet that do not have Wi-Fi, so their retirement means you can expect to stay connected on every Singapore Airlines flight regardless of destination.

Singapore Airlines inflight Wi-Fi & mobile connectivity guide

As a reminder, Singapore Airlines offers complimentary unlimited Wi-Fi to Suites, First and Business Class passengers, as well as Premium Economy and Economy Class passengers provided they are members of KrisFlyer. 

The unwanted airplanes

When Singapore Airlines first announced its intention to integrate SilkAir, the original plan was to transfer the carrier’s B737-800 aircraft to Scoot. SIA would take over the newer B737-8 MAX aircraft and fit them with new Business Class seats, with the goal of “every Business Class seat a flat bed” by 2020.

But following the fatal crashes of two B737-8 MAX aircraft, transfer plans were halted and SIA ended up inheriting nine B737-800s when SilkAir was merged into its parent company in 2021. Two were quickly withdrawn from service, but the remaining seven had operating leases expiring between September 2024 and January 2026. 

This put SIA in an awkward position. The timeline was too short for a refit, but too long to keep the status quo. From a customer experience perspective, there’d be few things more jarring than stepping off one of SIA’s long-haul flights with a full-flat bed, seatback IFE and Wi-Fi, and onto a connecting flight with SIA livery but none of those modern conveniences. 

In the end, the airline bit the bullet and kept the recliner seats, but gave them some new upholstery. It also deployed the B737-800 on its shortest routes (or routes with lower yields like Kathmandu), in an attempt to minimise customer dissatisfaction.

Back in the SilkAir days, the B737-800 Business Class seats had dark leather upholstery with contrasting white headrest covers. This was replaced with grey leather and a matching headrest cover. The orange chequered pillows add a splash of colour, and on the whole it looked like a wider version of SIA’s existing Premium Economy seat. Perhaps that was intentional to avoid sullying the image of SIA’s Business Class, a subtle reminder that this should be seen as Economy Plus rather than Business Minus.

It may surprise you to know that this seat actually has a proper name: the B/E Aerospace Millennium, hinting at the era in which it was conceptualised (and if you like it so much, you can buy some surplus seats to decorate your home; do allow 14 days for shipping).

This product was originally designed for the US domestic First Class market, entering service in 1998 with the now-defunct US Airways. The main selling point was its all-mechanical functionality, a lightweight alternative to electric-motor Business Class seats.

I reviewed this seat back in October 2023, and let’s just say it’s not what you’d call an “aspirational redemption”. The seat had poor lumbar support and creaky manual controls, there was close to zero privacy, and it felt like stepping into a time capsule. 

Singapore Airlines B737-800 Business Class Review: The worst seats in the fleet

On the other hand, passengers flying the B737-8 MAX can expect a more modern experience with seatback entertainment screens, Wi-Fi, live TV service, and flat beds in Business Class. 

For a full overview of the Business and Economy Class experience on the B737-8 MAX, refer to the posts below.

Hands on: Singapore Airlines’ new B737-8 Business Class seat

Hands on: Singapore Airlines’ new B737-8 Economy Class seat

Conclusion

Singapore Airlines has operated its final scheduled Boeing 737-800 flight, closing a chapter on an aircraft it never really wanted in its fleet. 

While these were perhaps ideal for those who longed for the days where a flight meant a good book and an opportunity to disconnect from the world, the vast majority of passengers would find them horribly outdated, and a jarring transition from SIA’s more modern planes.

With this retirement, Business Class passengers can look forward to a flat bed seat on every flight, no matter the duration, while Economy Class passengers will be guaranteed a personal inflight entertainment screen and Wi-Fi connectivity. 

So farewell, B737-800s. You got the job done, but I doubt we’ll miss you!

What memories do you have of the B737-800s?

(Photo credit: Plane’s Portrait Aviation Media)