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, finally left the fleet for pastures new in 2025, but the MAX fleet has been steadily growing and now stands 20-strong, with more to come.

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.

With the IATA northern summer 2026 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!

In total, one in four SIA flights (24%) will be operated by a Boeing 737-8 MAX aircraft by the end of the upcoming summer timetable season.

Route changes

For summer 2026 the route network for SIA’s Boeing 737-8 MAX aircraft is largely the same as the current one, with a few exceptions.

Bali loses its Boeing 737-8 MAX flights (up to two per day), shifting to all-Boeing 787 operation from 29th March 2026 for the northern summer 2026 season. Chengdu also has its Boeing 737-8 MAX flights replaced from the same date, with daily Boeing 787-10s taking over for the summer.

Colombo and Dhaka pick up Boeing 737-8 MAX service on their second daily flights, as both routes get hiked to double daily. The extra flights will supplement daily Boeing 787 operation in both cases, from 1st May 2026 and 1st August 2026 respectively.

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

The longest flights for the MAX stretch to 6 hours 35 minutes, between Singapore and Busan – now a daily flight – while the shortest hops are to and from Kuala Lumpur at as little as 1 hour 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 summer schedule on 24th October 2026.

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 summer.

By late October 2026, SIA will have 297 weekly departures from Changi using the Boeing 737 MAX.

Out of a total of around 1,200 weekly departures across all fleets, that means nearly 25% of the airline’s flights (around one in four) will be flown by the MAX.

MAX-exclusive routes

14 routes on the SIA network this summer 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

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 20 Boeing 737-8 MAX aircraft is outlined in the table below.

Singapore Airlines Boeing 737 MAX Fleet
Registration	Age (Feb 2026)	SIA First Pax Service
9V-MBA	8.4 yrs	28 Nov 2021 (SIN-HKT)
9V-MBB	8.3 yrs	6 Dec 2021 (SIN-PNH)
9V-MBC	8.2 yrs	23 Nov 2021 (SIN-HKT)
9V-MBD	7.9 yrs	17 Dec 2021 (SIN-KUL)
9V-MBE	7.8 yrs	4 Dec 2021 (SIN-HKT)
9V-MBF	7.0 yrs	24 Nov 2021 (SIN-HKT)
9V-MBG	6.9 yrs	1 Feb 2022 (SIN-KUL)
9V-MBH	6.8 yrs	22 Mar 2022 (SIN-KUL)
9V-MBI	6.7 yrs	10 Apr 2022 (SIN-KUL)
9V-MBJ	6.6 yrs	30 Apr 2022 (SIN-KUL)
9V-MBK	6.5 yrs	2 Jun 2022 (SIN-HKT)
9V-MBL	6.4 yrs	25 Apr 2023 (SIN-REP)
9V-MBM	6.2 yrs	20 Nov 2022 (SIN-KUL)
9V-MBN	6.2 yrs	7 Jul 2022 (SIN-KUL)
9V-MBO	3.6 yrs	15 Sep 2022 (SIN-KUL)
9V-MBP	3.3 yrs	22 Dec 2022 (SIN-PNH)
9V-MBQ	0.8 yrs	9 Jul 2025 (SIN-BWN)
9V-MBR	0.7 yrs	1 Aug 2025 (SIN-KUL)
9V-MBS	0.5 yrs	26 Sep 2025 (SIN-SUB)
9V-MBT	0.3 yrs	7 Jan 2026 (SIN-HKT)

Two more Boeing 737-8 MAX aircraft are due to join the airline by the end of March 2026 (9V-MBU has already completed a couple of test flights at the time of writing), which will take the narrow-body fleet to 22 MAX aircraft in total for the summer season.

Expansion of this fleet has already seen the complete replacement of the carrier’s Boeing 737-800s, with further deliveries now allowing for some fleet expansion. A further seven MAXs are still due to arrive from April 2026 onwards, for a final fleet of 29.

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).

Here are our dedicated articles covering the new 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 Colombo, Guangzhou and Hanoi, you’ll 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 potentially stretch their legs to even more distant cities in the coming years, the differences will certainly be worth noting where you have a choice on your route.

Cairns to follow, and perhaps Chiang Mai?

As we reported in late 2025, Singapore Airlines is boosting its Cairns flight from four times weekly to daily service, but replacing Airbus A350 Medium Haul aircraft with the Boeing 737-8 MAX, from December 2026 onwards.

This will become one of the carrier’s longest MAX flights at up to 6 hours 45 minutes, though the Busan – Singapore route stretches slightly longer – to 6 hours 50 minutes – in the winter months due to headwinds.

There’s another potential MAX route on the horizon too, with recent reports that the carrier is finalising plans to serve Chiang Mai in northern Thailand in due course – a destination we think the MAX would be well suited for.

As we mentioned earlier, SIA’s Boeing 737 MAX fleet will witness another 45% expansion from its current level when all nine outstanding orders have been delivered over the coming years, for a total fleet of 29 jets, so there are plenty of future options for the type on the network in the months and years ahead.

The Singapore Airlines Boeing 737-8 MAX will operate nearly one in four of the carrier’s departures out of Changi each week by the end of this upcoming summer season, across 26 destinations.

As the MAX fleet continues to expand within Singapore Airlines, it is becoming increasingly difficult to avoid the type (if that’s your strategy), with 14 routes seeing exclusively 737-8 MAX operation this summer, including Busan, Da Nang, Darwin, Medan, Penang, Phuket and Xiamen.

Ultimately the final fleet of 29 MAX aircraft will no doubt see the narrow-body branching out to more routes, with Cairns on the cards from December 2026 and Chiang Mai potentially in the works.

(Cover Photo: Shutterstock)