While all of Singapore Airlines' Airbus A380s are still grounded, and over a third of the fleet is being sent into premature retirement, all of the remaining 12 superjumbos will sport the airline's latest first class suites and business class seats when they return to the skies.
This will include seven A380s which previously flew with the first generation fit-out, on top of the five newest A380s delivered factory-fresh with the new designs starting late 2017.
Three of those 'classic' A380s have already been upgraded, and a spokesman for Singapore Airlines has confirmed that four more will follow, covering the downsized dozen-strong fleet.
On the older aircraft, this will see the 12 first class suites located on the lower deck, which made their debut from 2007 when Singapore Airlines was the global launch customer for the double-decker behemoth... swapped out for six almost double-sized suites at the front of the upper deck.
(At the nose of the lower deck, the space previously assigned to those 12 suites will be given over to some 44 premium economy seats.)
Likewise, the original bench-like A380 business class seats will make way for SQ's newer design.
This allows couples in the paired middle seats to slide down a divider and share more of the travel experience, with the option to convert the 'front-row' business class seats at rows rows 11, 91 and 96 into a double bed.
The upgrade work will be carried out in Singapore, but with Covid-19 continuing to throttle global travel demand – the foundation of Singapore Airlines' model of connecting the world through its Singapore hub – there's no timeline as to when we'll see the superjumbos soaring once more.
"We continue to closely monitor travel demand and will remain nimble to ensure we can deploy additional capacity to meet any increase in demand," the Singapore Airlines spokesman said.
"Given the current demand patterns, we do not foresee our A380 aircraft returning to service in the near term."
19 of the Star Alliance member's Airbus A380s are still in Singapore, with seven – ranging from new models to upgraded and original jets – in hibernation at a dedicated aircraft storage facility in Alice Springs.