Qantas Airways (QF) has added two dishes from a beloved Singapore restaurant to its Changi Airport lounges, preserving a decades-long connection between the airline and generations of its flight crew. The move follows the closure of Wing Seong Fatty’s, a family-run restaurant that had served Qantas pilots and cabin crew on Singapore layovers since World War Two. Qantas announced the change on July 2, 2026, at a function held in Singapore honoring the restaurant’s history with the airline.
The two dishes, crispy spring rolls and a dish known as nuclear chicken, were served yesterday by Qantas chefs after the restaurant’s third-generation owners shared their family recipes. The crispy spring rolls now appear on the menu in the Qantas First Lounge at Singapore Changi Airport (SIN), while the nuclear chicken is served in the Business Lounge. Qantas made the change after Wing Seong Fatty’s announced its closure in June 2026, ending a relationship that began nearly 80 years ago.
Wing Seong Fatty’s Wartime Origins with Australian Airmen
Wing Seong Fatty’s traces its connection to Australian aviation back to World War Two. Founder Au Yuen and his son Au Chan Seng, known affectionately as “Fatty” for his stout build, quietly fed prisoners of war at personal risk to themselves. Word of their kindness spread among Australian servicemen and Royal Australian Air Force pilots stationed in the region.
That reputation carried into the postwar era. Singapore became one of Qantas’ most important international bases starting in the late 1940s, and the restaurant became a regular stop for crews flying what became known as the Kangaroo Route. According to Executive Traveller, the restaurant sat between the Bugis and Little India districts and became known simply as Fatty’s to generations of Qantas staff, even though its formal name was Wing Seong Fatty’s Restaurant.
Why The Restaurant Closed After a Century
Wing Seong Restaurant was founded in 1926 on Albert Street by Au Yuen, AeroTime reported. The business later relocated to Albert Complex in 1987 and then to Burlington Square in 1999. It closed permanently on June 28, 2026, after a century of operation. In a letter to customers, the Au family said the decision came after careful consideration, since the shareholders and management were advancing in age and the younger generation had pursued other careers.
The restaurant’s third-generation custodian, known as Skinny and aged 75, ran the business alongside his brother Kelvin. Before closing, the brothers passed their closely held family recipes on to Qantas chefs so the dishes could continue in a new setting.
What Qantas Said About Honoring the Tradition
Nick McGlynn, Qantas’ Executive Vice President for Asia, linked the gesture directly to the airline’s history in the city. He said Fatty’s had “been part of the Qantas story in Singapore for decades.” McGlynn also noted that Singapore has served as one of Qantas’ most important international bases since the late 1940s, and that the restaurant had been woven into that history from the early days.
Qantas Chief Pilot Dick Tobiano also commented on the closure, describing the restaurant as a gathering point for crew across different aircraft fleets and home bases. Tobiano thanked the Au family for their friendship over the years and wished them a well-earned retirement on behalf of the airline.
The Dishes Now Served in Qantas’ Singapore Lounges
The two dishes were chosen specifically to reflect the items most closely associated with Fatty’s among Qantas crew. Coverage from multiple outlets confirms the same placement across the airline’s Changi Airport lounges:
- Crispy spring rolls are now served in the Qantas First Lounge.
- Nuclear chicken, a dish known for its spice level, is now served in the Qantas Business Lounge.
- Both dishes are available to eligible passengers transiting through Singapore Changi Airport (SIN), including those connecting onto Oneworld partner airlines.
Karryon noted that the change gives travel sellers a tangible detail to point to for premium clients transiting Singapore, since the Kangaroo Route remains one of the busiest waypoints for Australian outbound travel.
All in All
The addition of two dishes to a lounge menu is a modest operational change for an airline the size of Qantas. But the story behind it connects to a much longer institutional memory, stretching from wartime kindness shown to Australian airmen through decades of Qantas crew rotations in Singapore. By working directly with the Au family before the restaurant’s final service, Qantas ensured that a piece of that history continues for crew and premium passengers passing through Changi Airport.