Singapore
The near 19-hour flight will fly between Singapore and New York’s Newark Liberty International Airport.
The Airbus A350-900ULR that will operate the Singapore-Newark route. (Photo: Singapore Airlines)
SINGAPORE: Singapore Airlines (SIA) will launch the world’s longest commercial flights on Oct 11 between Singapore and New York, the airline said in a news release on Wednesday (May 30).
The Singapore-Newark flights will cover about 16,700km and travelling time will be up to 18 hours and 45 minutes.
The flights to Newark Liberty International Airport on the new Airbus A350-900ULR will first operate three times a week from Changi Airport on Monday, Thursday and Saturday. Daily operations will then commence from Oct 18 when an additional aircraft comes into service.
The aircraft will have two cabin classes – Business and Premium Economy. Tickets will be made available for sale progressively across various booking channels starting from Thursday, said SIA.
“We are pleased to be leading the way with these new non-stop flights using the latest-technology, ultralong-range Airbus A350-900ULR,” said SIA CEO Goh Choon Phong.
The new Airbus range features higher ceilings, larger windows and better air quality, said SIA.
SIA is the world’s first customer for the new A350-900ULR and expects the first aircraft to be delivered in September. Seven more such aircraft are due for delivery by the end of the year.
Changi Airport Group (CAG) has welcomed this announcement as well on Wednesday, adding that the new service is Southeast Asia’s only non-stop connection to the North American east coast.
“With the advent of ultra long range aircraft, non-stop long haul routes are now more efficient and viable,” said CAG’s managing director, air hub development, Mr Lim Ching Kiat.
“I’m confident it will be well-received by Changi Airport’s passengers, especially time-pressed business travellers.
“With strong traffic growth between the North America and Southeast Asia regions, there are growth opportunities to be tapped,” he added.
Singapore Airlines currently serves New York’s John F Kennedy International Airport via Frankfurt.
With the new Singapore-Newark service, there will be 72 weekly passenger services between Changi Airport and the United States, said CAG.
CAG added that there were 692,800 passenger movements recorded on direct flights between Singapore and the United States last year.
There are also plans for non-stop Singapore-Los Angeles flights with the A350-900ULR that will be announced later, added SIA.
