Singapore Airlines unveils new SilverKris lounge at Sydney Airport in world first

Singapore Airlines has opened its new lounge at Sydney Airport after months of renovations as the first step in a $100 million update of its lounges around the world.

Sydney Airport's SilverKris lounge is the first in the world to feature the new design.

Renovations to lounges at 14 other cities, including Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, will follow over the next five years.

The new lounges, including the one in Sydney Airport's international terminal, have been designed by ONG&ONG to be modelled after the elements of a home.

"Our customers frequently tell us that they have a feeling of 'home' as soon as they board our aircraft and our aim is to extend this experience to the ground," said Singapore Airlines senior vice president product and services Tan Pee Teck.

"Through our new 'home away from home' concept, the intention is for our customers to experience the feeling of being taken care of at every step of their journey."

The 'home' concept includes a customised batik screen in the welcome foyer and, inside, there are selected art pieces sourced both locally and from Singapore. The lounge also includes personal spaces such as a living room, kitchen and dining room to allow passengers to relax, along with productivity pods allowing them to work in privacy.

The food will be based on a "taste of Singapore" concept with iconic dishes such as laksa and mee siam offered alongside food from around the world and a premium range of wine and spirits.

Singapore Airlines has more capacity into Australia than any other foreign carrier and offers four flights a day between Sydney and Singapore.

The airline on Friday released its November traffic figures. It reported load factors, or the percentage of seats filled, in the South West Pacific region, which includes Australia, fell by 0.7 percentage points to 79.2 per cent versus the same month last year. Cargo loads to the South West Pacific fell by 10.7 percentage points to 55.9 per cent.

The airline warned the global operating environment remained challenging and efforts to stimulate demand to boost load factors would continue to place downward pressure on yields, or returns on fares.