Singapore Airlines' upgraded Boeing 777s will be winging their way to Europe starting next month, with New Zealand and Australia to follow.

Amsterdam will be see first fruits of the S$95m (A$74m) upgrade from 13 January 2013.

"Upgraded B777-200ERs will be deployed to more destinations in Europe and to points in India, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand as additional aircraft are refitted" Singapore Airlines says.

These long-range Boeing 777-200ER jets are also a bit long in the tooth, hence SQ's rolling refit to ten of its 777s which adds Airbus A380-style seating in business class.

The upgrade sees a shift to a 1-2-1 configuration compared to the original 2-2-2- layout so that every passenger will enjoy direct access to the aisle, and of course the new seats fold down into a fully flat bed.

Download: the complete seatmap for SQ's refitted Boeing 777-200ER [PDF, 120KB]

As you can see from the current 777-200ER seatmap, the revamped business class cabin drops four seats – down to 26 from today's 30 – while the cabin has also been extended in size, pushing back into what is now a large galley.

Download: the complete seatmap for SQ's original Boeing 777-200ER [PDF, 290KB]

Other improvements include a larger 15.4-inch LCD screen in business class, with 9 inch screens (up from a squint-worthy 6.5 inches) in economy.

The revamp is due for completion by the middle of 2013, a Singapore Airlines spokesperson tells Australian Business Traveller, at which point all SQ's long-distance flights will have been upgraded to these seats.

And while the 777s get their A380 make-over, Singapore Airlines will introduce all-new business class seats in late 2013, but will keep the current forward-facing design rather than adopt the increasingly popular herringbone layout now seen on many competitors.

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