From March 2026, there’ll be no more dreaded 2-3-2 Business Class layouts to worry about on Turkish Airlines flights to and from Singapore.
Turkish Airlines will finally standardise its Business Class cabin offering on Singapore flights with its latest direct aisle access product on all flights from early March next year, ending the lottery of whether you’ll get the carrier’s outdated 2-3-2 configuration or its newer and more private 1-2-1 product.
That’s good news for regulars on the Star Alliance carrier’s flights from the Lion City to Istanbul and Melbourne, and comes ahead of a planned upgrade to an even better Business Class cabin on retrofitted Boeing 777-300ERs and new Airbus A350s, starting in 2026.
The problem with Turkish Airlines’ current Singapore flights
Turkish Airlines currently operates up to 20 weekly departures from Singapore; up to 17 flights to Istanbul and 3 “fifth freedom” services to Melbourne. While all the Melbourne flights already feature the new Business Class, the Istanbul route remains a mixed bag of aircraft types.
The older Boeing 777-300ER aircraft still flying on some Singapore-Istanbul rotations feature a 2000s-era 2-3-2 Business Class layout. While spacious and offering fully flat beds, this is definitely ‘old school’ design with a serious lack of privacy and that dreaded middle seat possibility for solo travellers.
(Photo: Live and Let’s Fly)
In this configuration, 40% of passengers don’t have direct aisle access, while the remaining 60% face the possibility of a stranger having to climb over them to reach the aisle. It’s far from ideal for a 12-hour flight.
That said, couples who can snag a pair by the window are usually happy with this rather sociable and spacious layout, and might even target the Boeing 777 flights to achieve it.
Turkish did start introducing its new 1-2-1 Business Class seats on the Singapore route back in June 2020 on the Boeing 787, with some newer Airbus A350s now also flying the route with the same seats, but it’s been a frustrating lottery ever since – book a ticket and you might get the new product, or you might end up with the aging 777.
This is in the form of the Stelia Symphony seats first introduced by Singapore Airlines as its 2018 Regional Business Class product on Boeing 787-10s and Airbus A350 Medium Haul jets, so it’s already a familiar product for many of our readers.
Seats are in a staggered 1-2-1 configuration, offering direct aisle access for all Business Class passengers, unlike the older dated 2-3-2 layout you’ll find on the carrier’s Boeing 777-300ERs.
There’s also free Wi-Fi in Business Class, and an 18-inch IFE screen for entertainment.
Most of all though, Turkish Airlines is known for its high quality food, with an onboard chef helping to prepare the meals for Business Class passengers.
(Photo: Turkish Airlines)
What’s changing from March 2026
From 3rd March 2026, all Turkish Airlines departures from Singapore will be operated exclusively by Airbus A350 or Boeing 787 aircraft, both featuring direct aisle access 1-2-1 flat bed seats. This applies to all services:
- All 3 weekly Singapore – Melbourne flights (already using the new product)
- All up to 17 weekly Singapore – Istanbul flights (currently mixed)
This means no more Boeing 777-300ERs on the Singapore route, guaranteeing Turkish’s better all-aisle-access Business Class cabin on every flight.
