Singapore Airlines grew out of Malayan Airways, founded in 1947. It later became Malaysia-Singapore Airlines, after the two nations briefly united. When that carrier split in October 1972, Singapore took the international routes. Singapore is a city-state with no home routes to fall back on. It bet right away on top-quality service. The Singapore Girl and her sarong kebaya uniform grew into one of aviation's best-known brands.
Other early moves sealed its reputation. It adopted the Boeing 747 early, added in-flight entertainment, and poured free drinks in economy. It has also made history at Changi Airport. On October 25, 2007, it flew the world's first paying Airbus A380 flight, Singapore to Sydney. In 2004 it started nonstop Airbus A340-500 flights to Newark, then the longest anywhere. It survived the pandemic by raising huge sums from shareholders.
The airline revived that ultra-long idea in 2018 with the A350-900ULR. Its Singapore to New York nonstop is still the longest scheduled flight on Earth, at nearly 19 hours. The group owns budget airline Scoot and took a 25 percent share of the enlarged Air India in the 2024 Vistara merger. Often named the world's best airline, it belongs to Star Alliance, a partner group that links member networks.