SilkAir has pulled back the curtains on a smart-looking set of  business class seats for its new Boeing 737 MAX 8 fleet, which is expected to fly to Darwin and Cairns in 2018.

Finished in a dusky chocolate, the 12 leather-clad seats offer more room for premium passengers compared to the ageing Airbus A319 and A320 jets which will be retired in favour of the MAX 8s.

Seat pitch gains an almost 25% boost from 39" to 49"...

... while the recline increases from 8" to a snooze-friendly 12".

Each seat boasts a spacious side pocket for easy access to personal items as well as AC and USB power sockets.

Business class flyers on Singapore Airlines’ regional arm can also enjoy gourmet Illy coffee brewed on board.

The 144 economy class seats each sport a seat-back holder for tablets and smartphones plus a USB socket.

While no seats have their own video screens, the airline's SilkAir Studio system beams movies, TV shows and music over WiFi to each passenger's own device.

The first of SilkAir's Boeing 737 MAX 8 jets will begin flights this week, with two more to follow by year's end and a staggering 34 more still to come.

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