Singapore Airlines is one of the most well known and iconic brands in modern aviation. The brand has become easily associated with quality and high standards when flying. But how did the airline that we all know today come to be? How are its operations and fleet structured? Where is the airline's hub? Let's answer all of these questions in this in depth Singapore Airlines analysis page. Read all the latest Singapore Airlines news and posts, click here.
How and When Was Singapore Airlines Founded? – A little bit of history
Although we know the airline today as Singapore Airlines its history didn't start off under that name. The airline first came into existence in 1966 as a joint venture between the Malaysian and Singaporean governments. The two countries had just split up so it was agreed that the airline would carry both nations' names under the brand MSA or Malaysia-Singapore Airlines.
The joint venture didn't have the longest run though as the interests and needs of the two governments diverged more and more over the years. The Malaysian government intended to build up its domestic aviation market while understandably the Singaporeans wanted to expand internationally not having a domestic market to serve.
Therefore in 1972 Malaysian-Singapore Airlines split into two entities:
- Malaysian Airlines System
- Singapore Airlines
The Malaysians were able to maintain the initials, albeit in a different order, even after the split up. Eventually MAS changed name to become Malaysian Airlines we all know today.
Following the split SIA (Singapore International Airlines) adopted the livery and color scheme we all recognise it by today with the golden finishings on the dark blue background.
Where Is Singapore Airlines Based?
The airline is obviously based in Singapore and has all its operations based in the mega-hub of Changi International Airport. Singapore is an extremely densely populated city, but it is obviously only big enough for one airline and one airport. Therefore SIA concentrates all its operation out of the city's sole airport.
How are SIA's operations structured?
As mentioned above since its first years of existence the Singaporean flag carrier's focus has been long range operations connecting Singapore to the world and enabling passengers to travel across its network transiting via Changi International Airport.
The position of Singapore and therefore its international airport is quite favourable for an international airline such as SIA. Located at the tip of the Malay peninsula it makes for a perfect stopover point for flights travelling between Australia and Europe. Also it allows the airline to feed its international routes to Europe, Australia and the US with traffic originating in the many extremely populous cities.
The fact that most of the airline's routes are long haul or ULRs is reflected in the airline's fleet structure as well see just below.
How is Singapore Airlines' Fleet Structured?
If you are looking for an in depth analysis of the SIA fleet and how it'll evolve in the next years you can check this post out. However the bottom line is that Singapore Airlines fleet has a huge percentage of Wide Body and long range capable planes. Simply because the airline serves some of the longest and busiest routes in the world.
| Manufacturer | Type | Quantity |
|---|---|---|
 Airbus | A350-900 | 58 |
| Airbus | A350-900ULR | 7 |
| Airbus | A380-800 | 12 |
 Boeing | 777-300ER | 22 |
| Boeing | 787-10 | 26 |
| Manufacturer | Type | Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| Boeing | 737-800 | 5 |
| Boeing | 737 MAX 8 | 16 |
Which is Singapore Airlines' Frequent Flyer Programme?
The Singapore Airlines frequent flyer programme is KrisFlyer. The programme is interconnected with those of the other Star Alliance airlines. That means that you can build up and spend your miles onboard any of the participating airlines.
Also similarly to what Air France-KLM do with their Flying Blue, you can create a family account and also sign your kids up to is as early as 2 years of age.
Which alliance are Singapore Airlines part of?
As mentioned just above, Singapore Airlines is a member of the Star Alliance. As a matter of fact the airline is the main Star Alliance Member in the southeast Asia region.
Does SIA Own Any Subsidiary Airlines?
As is the case with many major airlines and airline groups in the past few years, SIA has also setup its own low cost airline to intercept travelers with a smaller budget: Scoot.
Scoot is a wholly Singapore Airlines owned subsidiary, which operates low cost medium to long haul flights, with services to Australia and Europe among other areas.
The other airline Singapore participates in is Air India. The Singaporean flag carrier has a stake in the Indian flag carrier as it part owned Vistara, the airline born from a SIA-TATA Group joint venture, which is now merging with Air India. However, with Air India merging with Vistara in late 2024, Singapore airline's stake in the new carrier was diluted to 25%.
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