Inside Singapore Airlines SilverKris inflight magazine relaunch
- Sunil Kalia
- 6 days ago
- 8 min read
Updated: 10 hours ago
Singapore Airlines brought SilverKris back to print in the March - April 2026 issue after a six-year, digital-only pause. This is what changed, who is publishing it, and why the return matters.
Written by Sunil Kalia, founder of inflightmagazines.com, a digital platform that brings inflight magazine content to a global audience beyond the flight.
This article discusses the relaunch of Singapore Airlines SilverKris inflight magazine. Written from the perspective of inflightmagazines.com, an online directory founded by a former British Airways passenger experience specialist with over 15 years in cabin product and service development, including the Concorde and First Class brands, and served on BA’s Airbus A380 Introduction-into-Service project team as the Inflight Service representative. inflightmagazines.com documents a format that has shaped the passenger travel experience for more than seven decades.
Key takeaways
Singapore Airlines relaunched SilverKris in print with the March - April 2026 issue, ending a fully digital-only period that began in March 2020, according to records from Singapore's National Heritage Board.
The relaunch is produced by Ink Publishing Pte Ltd, part of Stagwell Inc., working across Ink’s London and Singapore offices.
Chelsia Tan is the new SilverKris editor, confirmed in Ink’s own relaunch announcement on LinkedIn.
Onboard, SilverKris now appears as a twin-cover inflight magazine bound alongside the KrisShop retail catalogue on every Singapore Airlines flight, per Ink Global’s Singapore Airlines page.
The print title is bimonthly, 60 pages, and is accompanied by a refreshed digital home at silverkris.singaporeair.com.
What is SilverKris?
SilverKris is the inflight magazine of Singapore Airlines. The title dates back to 1976; a November 2007 issue is preserved in Singapore’s national collection at Roots.gov.sg, which records that an online version launched in 2010 and the magazine went fully digital in March 2020. From March 2026, SilverKris is again available in print and online, with the print edition returning to seat pockets on every Singapore Airlines flight.
Why did Singapore Airlines relaunch SilverKris in 2026?
Singapore Airlines relaunched SilverKris in 2026 because print inflight magazines have proved harder to replace than the digital-only rhetoric of 2020 suggested, and because the airline judged that a redesigned print title, integrated with a modern digital platform, now works better commercially and editorially than a digital-only product on its own. Michael Keating, CEO of publisher Ink, describes the shift bluntly in a July 2026 interview with Katy Gillett: ‘In the midst of digital noise, the print magazine is seen as a luxury, tactile and highly engaging product.’
The context is a wider, quiet return of the airline magazine that inflightmagazines.com has tracked across 2024–2026. Philippine Airlines brought Mabuhay back in October 2025 after a five-year hiatus, according to AeroTime. SWISS restored a print edition of SWISS Magazine in October 2025 for its new Airbus A350 cabins, per its own newsroom. Etihad’s reimagined title relaunched in June 2026, announced by Keating on LinkedIn.
We covered the shape of this revival in our earlier post, The Revival of the Inflight Magazine; SilverKris is the most editorially ambitious return.
How long was the pause?
The pause ran from March 2020 to March 2026, a six-year hiatus, in Ink’s own words on its news page.
At the start of that pause, the scale of disruption across the sector was severe: former Ink editor Toby Skinner wrote in July 2020 that of Ink’s 18 airline partners in early March 2020, only American Airlines’ American Way remained onboard through lockdown.
SilverKris was among the many titles that went fully digital and did not physically return to the cabin until 2026.
Who publishes SilverKris?
SilverKris is published by Ink Publishing Pte Ltd, based in Singapore and part of Stagwell Inc. Ink Publishing is the Singapore arm of Ink, a London-headquartered travel media company that produces inflight and travel titles for airlines including Etihad, easyJet, Malaysia Airlines’ Going Places, Cebu Pacific’s Smile, and Jetstar Asia.
Ink describes the SilverKris product on its Singapore Airlines client page as an onboard magazine that ‘combines the celebrated editorial of SilverKris magazine with the curated retail universe of the KrisShop catalogue.’
The relaunch was delivered by a team split between Ink’s London and Singapore offices. Ink’s own announcement credits Tan Parmar and Morgan Rees in London and James P. Ong and Jessica Santos in Singapore, alongside Chelsia Tan as the new SilverKris editor.
The relaunch cover image was produced by photographer Finbarr Fallon, credited in a March 2026 LinkedIn post by Ink’s Aaron Low.
How is the new SilverKris different from the pre-pause title?
The relaunched SilverKris differs from its pre-pause form in three ways:
It is bound onboard as a twin-cover magazine alongside the KrisShop retail catalogue.
It is anchored to a refreshed digital platform at silverkris.singaporeair.com.
It is produced by an Ink editorial team based in both London and Singapore rather than by the previous Singapore-only publisher, SPH Magazines.
Attribute | Pre-Pause SilverKris | Relaunched SilverKris (2026) |
|---|---|---|
Format | Standalone print magazine, plus website | Twin-cover print, bound with the KrisShop catalogue, plus refreshed website |
Frequency | Monthly, pre-2020 | Bimonthly, 60 pages |
Publisher | SPH Magazines (Singapore Press Holdings) | Ink Publishing Pte Ltd, part of Stagwell Inc. |
Editor | Rotating SPH editorial leadership | Chelsia Tan, per Ink’s announcement |
Digital home | ||
Distribution | On board and in SilverKris Lounges | On board every Singapore Airlines flight |
Status March 2020 – March 2026 | Fully digital, per Singapore’s National Heritage Board | Not applicable — this is the return to print |
A first-hand experience note: SilverKris on the SQ A380 at Heathrow, 2008–2009
Between late 2008 and mid-2009, I was British Airways Inflight Service's representative on the A380 Introduction-into-Service project team, and Singapore Airlines’ A380 operation at Heathrow was the natural benchmark for that work.
Singapore Airlines had started A380 services to Heathrow in March 2008, several years before British Airways took its own first A380 in July 2013, so I spent time on the SQ aircraft on the ground at Heathrow, in conversation with Singapore Airlines cabin crew about how they were delivering the service in a very large twin-deck cabin environment. SilverKris was in front of me on those visits.
Three things were noticeable, in a way that reads directly onto the current relaunch:
First, the magazine was positioned to be visible and accessible in the cabin, treated as part of the passenger experience.
Second, it was dense, closer to a brochure than a magazine, but that was not a criticism; it was the density of a title carrying substantive destination and lifestyle journalism, not filler.
Third, the page weight and print quality were notable, and the editorial mix balanced advertising density with editorial-quality writing by experienced professional writers.
It felt premium, much like Singapore Airlines is regularly named among the top carriers globally.
The relevant detail from inside the A380 project is this: on a new super-heavy aircraft, when every onboard item was being pressed for weight, the inflight magazine still came through as essential to the passenger experience and to advertiser revenue.
That was the logic in 2008 - 2009, and it is essentially the logic Singapore Airlines has arrived at again in 2026, having tested the alternative for six years.
It is worth noting that as early as August 2010, Phocuswire reported that Singapore Airlines was trialling a digital-only route via SmarttPapers on Panasonic eX2 inflight entertainment; the fully digital period that ran from March 2020 to April 2026 was the fuller test of that direction.
How is the relaunched SilverKris being received?
Early reception among travellers is quietly positive, judging by the editorial team’s own reports.
In a LinkedIn post in mid-July 2026, SilverKris editor Chelsia Tan wrote: ‘I was at ILTM today when I overheard someone say they’d picked up a copy of SilverKris on their Singapore Airlines flight and that it was “actually quite good.” I’ll take the “actually” as a compliment.’ The comment matters for two reasons.
It is a real-world reader reaction observed by the editor rather than a marketing claim; and the self-deprecating tone in Tan’s response reads as an editor still calibrating a title that spent six years off the aircraft. By that stage the title had a rhythm.
The (initial) March - April 2026 issue covered Singapore’s evolving green skyline, Milan Design Week, Bangkok, the new First Class SilverKris Lounge at Changi T2, and a profile of a Singapore-based rising star at OpenAI.
Chelsia's first issue as editor was May - June 2026. The July - August 2026 issue leads on ‘Crafted in China’ and marks Singapore’s 61st birthday with a feature on the iconic Singapore Airlines sarong kebaya, an iconic cabin crew uniform designed in 1972 by French haute couture designer Pierre Balmain.
Who reads it?
Singapore Airlines carries 27 million-plus passengers per year across 79 destinations with 10,000-plus monthly flights, according to Ink’s Singapore Airlines page. At a bimonthly cadence, SilverKris is a print title with a very large captive audience closer to a controlled-circulation lifestyle magazine than a consumer newsstand product. That is a rare position in 2026, and much of the argument for the relaunch rests on it.
What does the SilverKris relaunch signal for the wider industry?
The relaunch signals that at least one Asia-Pacific flag carrier now judges a redesigned print magazine, integrated with a digital ecosystem, to be commercially strong enough to justify onboard weight, production cost, and paper lifecycle in 2026.
It does not settle the question for every airline: British Airways still limits its High Life to Club members and lounge visitors, as noted in the Desert Prose piece; US majors including United, which retired Hemispheres in print in October 2023, per The Points Guy, remain digital-only.
But among premium, long-haul, full-service carriers, the direction of travel is now clearly back toward print, alongside a much stronger digital platform than was offered in the pre-pause era. That is the wider story we will look at in a follow-up piece.
The bottom line
SilverKris is back on paper, back in every Singapore Airlines seat pocket, and back as a working commercial and editorial product six years after Singapore Airlines paused the print edition and nearly two decades after I first saw the publication on SQ’s A380 at Heathrow.
The broader argument the relaunch makes about the direction of premium airline media in 2026 is one we will pick up in a companion piece.
In the meantime, if you would like the wider context on how the inflight magazine got here, read our earlier post, The Revival of the Inflight Magazine, and the SilverKris entry in our directory of inflight magazines worldwide.
About inflightmagazines.com
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From seatback to sofa, on any device, we help travel-minded readers stay connected with destination and lifestyle content from airlines, hotels and attractions.
Consider it your Seat 1A boarding pass to a world of travel inspiration, destination spotlights, culture, lifestyle and fashion, curated across the genre in one place for the first time.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did Singapore Airlines relaunch SilverKris?
Singapore Airlines relaunched SilverKris in print with the March - April 2026 issue, with the Ink production team publicly announcing the relaunch on LinkedIn on 27 April 2026. The pause had lasted six years: the magazine had been fully digital since March 2020, according to Singapore’s National Heritage Board records.
Who publishes SilverKris?
SilverKris is published by Ink Publishing Pte Ltd, based in Singapore and part of Stagwell Inc. Ink Publishing is the Singapore arm of London-headquartered Ink, which produces inflight and travel titles for a portfolio of airline clients across Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. The SilverKris relaunch was delivered by teams in Ink’s London and Singapore offices.
Who is the editor of SilverKris?
Chelsia Tan is the editor of the relaunched SilverKris magazine, confirmed in Ink’s own relaunch announcement in April 2026. Her first issue as editor was the May - June 2026 edition, following the March - April 2026 relaunch issue.
Is SilverKris available in print or only digital?
SilverKris is available in both print and digital. The print edition is bimonthly, 60 pages, and is carried on every Singapore Airlines flight. Onboard, it appears as a twin-cover magazine bound together with the KrisShop retail catalogue, as described on Ink’s Singapore Airlines page.
The digital home is silverkris.singaporeair.com, which also hosts back issues as e-magazines.
Why did Singapore Airlines pause SilverKris in the first place?
Singapore Airlines paused the print edition of SilverKris in March 2020, as part of the industry-wide response to the Covid-19 pandemic, and kept the magazine fully digital for six years.
As early as 2010, Phocuswire reported that the airline had been trialling digital-only distribution via SmarttPapers on its Panasonic inflight entertainment system, so the 2020 shift accelerated a direction the airline had already been exploring for a decade.
Where can I read SilverKris online?
You can read SilverKris online at silverkris.singaporeair.com/emagazines/, Singapore Airlines’ travel platform, which hosts the current issue and back issues as e-magazines.
You can also access it at inflightmagazines.com.
