Review: Singapore Airlines Airbus A380 Business Class (Delhi – Singapore)

Earlier this month, I found myself heading out on a trip where I had to be in many places at the same time. The trip first took me to Singapore for a quick weekend. Out of the few options I had for travelling between Delhi and Singapore, I chose Singapore Airlines. Multiple reasons, one of them being that I hadn’t flown them in a while, and the second being that I’d never flown the A380 in Business Class (only the First Class Suites!)

Singapore Airlines is regarded as one of the world’s finest carriers, consistently winning awards for its exceptional service and premium cabins. This particular flight had a touch of added prestige, with the Prime Minister of Singapore and his entourage on board. For me, it was also an opportunity to re-experience Singapore Airlines’ latest A380 Business Class product, which continues to set benchmarks years after its introduction and evolution.

Ground Experience

Delhi’s evening traffic, combined with monsoon showers, made the run to the airport a tense one. I only reached Terminal 3 at 7:55 pm, later than my usual comfort zone for an international departure. The entry to Terminal 3 was crowded—many passengers appeared to be delayed by the same conditions. It took me about 20 minutes to get inside the airport.

At the Singapore Airlines counters, the difference was stark. The Business Class counters were empty, and I was checked in within three minutes. Boarding pass printed, Document Checked, Baggage Tagged, and I was on my way.

I ran into the Station Manager, and we had a quick chat. It was there that I found out the flight was going to be a VVIP Flight, with the Prime Minister of Singapore, Lawrence Wong, on board. He was heading back to Singapore after the State Visit to India, along with his entourage.

Getting through immigration was a breeze with the FTI-TTP E-Gates, although it is always followed by the question of whether I had crossed the e-gate from the security officer after this step. It is as if they cannot believe that someone came through without an inked boarding pass. Laughably, though, the security experience afterwards was pretty underwhelming. For some reason unknown to me, the First and Business Class security section, where you need to show your boarding pass to join the queue, also had people from Economy in the queue, and at least six of them were right in front of my eyes. And then there was also a celebrity YouTuber, who was travelling with six handbags. Err.

After clearing Security, I headed to the Encalm Prive Lounge, which I’ve reviewed earlier. It offers comfortable seating, food and drink, and decent WiFi.

As it always happens, the lounge was crowded, given that it was late evening and the peak travel hour had arrived. All I had time for was a quick bout of Khichdi, Chow and Chaat, when the AISATS team came calling to send me to the gate.

As an aside, Prive-eligible customers can take a golf cart to drive to the gate, but my gate was right outside the lounge, so I just walked over.

I reached the gate at 9:25 pm. Boarding began soon after, handled in an orderly fashion, with premium cabins invited first. The presence of the Prime Minister’s delegation lent an unusual air of calm—no jostling, just quiet efficiency.

I headed straight for the door. This being a “VVIP Flight” (Read that with Air Quotes), the only extra step was that more people were checking my Boarding Pass on the JetBridge, including one at the entrance of the plane who wore a band around his neck to signify he was security for the Singapore Delegation.

On board, I was met by one of the cabin crew members, who greeted me and escorted me to my seat. The cabin was extremely full, and all six First Class seats were also full. I was seated in the main (mid) section, while there is also a smaller section at the back for maybe 5 rows of Business Class seats.

Singapore Airlines SQ403
Delhi (DEL) – Singapore (SIN)
Thursday, September 5, 2025
Departure: 09:50 PM
Duration: 5 hours 30 minutes
Arrival: 05:50 AM
Aircraft Type: Airbus A380-800 
Seat: 17A (Business)
Meal Service: Dinner

Singapore Airlines currently operates 12 Airbus A380 aircraft in its fleet, with ten in active service and two in storage. The aircraft features 6 Suites, Singapore Airlines’s first-class equivalent on the A380, and 78 flat-bed business class seats occupying the entire upper deck, along with 44 premium economy class seats and 343 seats in economy on the lower deck.

Singapore Airlines A380 Business Class

The Singapore Airlines Airbus A380 Business Class cabin is laid out in a 1-2-1 configuration, ensuring every passenger enjoys direct aisle access. Since the government delegation occupied the front of the cabin, I refrained from taking pictures to ensure their privacy. But this image should get you a sense of the layout.

I originally had a seat at the back in the second section, and the cabin was full. As a window seat connoisseur, I did not like the idea of travelling in the midsection, so I put an alert on Seats.Aero Pro, and it sent me an email when a window seat became available. That is how I ended up in seat 17A.

The cabin has been designed by UK’s JPA Design and features a modern colour palette of dark purple seats, light grey shells around the seats with copper accents, which have gone away from the brown tinges that Singapore Airlines used to be so used to earlier.

The Singapore Airlines seat is exceptionally wide at 30 inches – arguably one of the widest in the sky – and upholstered in Poltrona Frau stitched leather. It appears pink here due to the cabin’s mood lighting interacting with the leather.

The seats by the window are positioned directly next to the aisle, with a console by the window. The foot cubby is positioned at an angle that points towards the window. The bedding was stacked up there.

A large side console serves as both a workspace and a storage unit. Multiple cubbies make it easy to stow laptops, headphones, and personal items. Seat controls are intuitive and provide some lovely tactile feedback, so you don’t press them by mistake and wonder what happened.

There was a mirror that popped out of the console, in case you needed to touch up before arrival.

Also, another small storage for personal objects in the seatback panel, adjacent to the IFE Screen.

The headphones Singapore Airlines offers in business class, although unbranded, are of reasonably high quality and, in the current era, come with ear pads that can be used in conjunction with the headphones for enhanced hygiene.

And one last feature, which should be a class for the rest of the airlines that are missing armrests these days. A foldable armrest, for the times you need it.

A large pillow, blanket, and a duvet were already at the seat. Also placed was a menu card. Singapore Airlines does not provide amenity kits, but they do stock the drawers of their lavatories with essential amenities, including dental kits, combs, and razors.  Having said that, SQ has recently launched Le Labo amenity kits for Business Class, which are available on demand only.

I also made a quick trip to the lavatory. While it was not fully dressed up before take off, I noticed there were Payot amenities on board.

Inflight Entertainment & Connectivity

Singapore Airlines’ KrisWorld system remains one of the best in the industry. A large, crisp, high-resolution 18″ screen provides access to a deep library of movies, TV shows, and music. There are over 1,900 entertainment options – movies, television programmes, music and games.

On select flights, you can also stay connected with family, friends, and colleagues via internet connectivity. Singapore Airlines now provides complimentary Wi-Fi for First and Business Class customers and KrisFlyer members.

Singapore Airlines Business Class On-Board Service

After settling in, the cabin crew returned to offer me a pre-departure beverage. Apple and Orange Juice were available, apart from Water. I got myself some Apple Juice, which was promptly placed on the small drinks holder next to the IFE.

Compression socks, slippers and eye shades were already placed on the seat. Next, hot towels were also distributed before take-off.

Menus were already placed in the seat pocket as well.

About five minutes before the scheduled departure time, we pushed back from the gate. And after a short taxi, we were airborne and on our way out of Delhi.

As we levelled off at 10,000 feet, service commenced with a ramekin of warm nuts and a round of drinks. I now switched to champagne, which was served at 10:30 pm.

Singapore Airlines has recently been serving 2018 Piper-Heidsieck Brut Vintage Champagne in Business Class, while continuing to serve Dom and Taittinger in the Suites. It was a good champagne. Here is the complete wine list from the flight.

Among the other beverages, there was a good selection of cocktails, coffees, aerated drinks, and clear teas.

After the entire cabin was served their drinks, the crew quickly moved on to dinner service. Here is a look at the Dinner Menu. Singapore Airlines offers four meal options in this sector: Indian Vegetarian and Non-Vegetarian, as well as Western Vegetarian and Non-Vegetarian options. Singapore Airlines has Chef Sanjeev Kapoor as part of their international culinary panel, and he has created some fantastic Indian dishes for them, which were featured on the menu. Here is everything on offer.

A short while after, the meal service started. I was very tempted to repeat some of the Sanjeev Kapoor creations which I’d tasted at a special tasting in Delhi a few months ago. I have for you here the Book-The-Cook options from Delhi in the Business Class section; there were quite a few new options since I last flew them between Delhi and Singapore. Just so you know, this is the complete list of options, and a subset will be offered depending on the day of your flight.

The first course was Smoked Salmon, which was served as an appetiser. This was delicious, although I was hoping for something more spicy.

A short while later, a cabin attendant arrived with the bread basket, which contained an assortment of breads, including Indian breads. The garlic bread remains a favourite – it was crisp on the outside and buttery within.

Shortly after, my Book the Cook dish was delivered hot, attractively plated, and authentic in flavour. I’d gone for the newly introduced Coconut Rice with Fried Chicken and Spicy Prawn. It lived up to the name, and had a nice flavourful kick to it. Almost as if I was in Singapore Hawker Stalls before I even got there.

For the final course, as in the dessert, I had to make the best of the options on the table.

I went with the Cheese Platter. It was a delicious choice.

Supporting me through the meal service was a movie. And then, the lights were dimmed. A few seats ahead of me, the Prime Minister of Singapore was sleeping. So I decided to catch a few hours of sleep on this short six-hour flight myself. I quickly laid out my bed and laid out the bedding on top of it.

By the time I woke up, it was almost time to land. I got a solid two to three hours of sleep on this leg of the flight. Everyone nearly woke up at the same time, resulting in considerable foot traffic around the early morning hours.

A quick hop to the lavatory to splash some water on my face, and when I was back, the seat was in an upright position already. We touched down a shade before 6:00 am local time.

Disembarkation was orderly, and I was in no rush as it was just six in the morning and nothing would be open at this hour. There was no extra disturbance for the PM to disembark, and he was gone as quietly as he arrived on board. While I was on the jetbridge, I saw his motorcade (one car with an escort vehicle) driving away.

Although there is no dedicated Business Class arrival lounge at Changi, immigration was smooth and efficient. If you don’t know, all you need to do now is pass through an automated checkpost, and you will receive an email with your arrival terms and conditions. This is also subject to you having filled out an arrival card before departure. My checked bag appeared quickly on the carousel right after.

Bottomline

This flight reinforced why Singapore Airlines remains a benchmark in the airline industry. The hard product was excellent, featuring spacious seating, direct aisle access, and one of the most comfortable beds on board. The flip-over design is divisive, but once set, it’s genuinely restful. The soft product also lived up to expectations: Book the Cook, garlic bread, polished crew service, and thoughtful touches, such as warm towels. Even on a short red-eye such as Delhi–Singapore, Singapore Airlines manages to deliver a seamless and premium experience from start to finish.

What has been your experience with Singapore Airlines on the A380 in Business Class?

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Pros

+ Spacious, private seats with direct aisle access.
+ Consistently polished crew service.
+ Strong catering programme with Book the Cook.
+ Excellent Inflight Entertainment.
+ Smooth ground handling and punctual operations.

Cons

- Bed requires manual flip-over, less convenient than recline-to-flat seats for lounging

Rating