Singapore Airlines (SIA) which took the delivery of the world’s first Airbus A350-900ULR (ultra-long-range) aircraft from Airbus in September, will reconnect Singapore and New York by operating the world’s longest commercial flight.
Starting on October 11, the world’s longest commercial flight from Singapore to Newark Liberty International Airport will cover a distance of approximately 9,000nm (16,700km), with travelling time of up to 18 hours 45 minutes.
The aircraft is configured in a two-class layout, with 67 Business Class seats and 94 Premium Economy Class seats.
The new flights will initially run three times a week from Singapore to Newark Liberty International Airport, with daily operations starting October 18 after a second Airbus A350-900 enters service.
The ULR will be able to fly a remarkable 11,160 miles, an increase of more than 1,800 miles over the standard A350.
The first two A350-900ULRs will be used for the launch of Singapore-New York services while subsequent aircraft will be used for Singapore-Los Angeles services commencing on 2 November 2018, as well as to increase frequency on the existing Singapore-San Francisco route. By the end of 2018, SIA will link Singapore and the United States with 27 weekly non-stop flights.
With the delivery of the first A350-900ULR, Singapore Airlines now has 22 A350-900 aircraft in its fleet, with 45 more on order including the six additional ULR variants.
Singapore Airlines currently operates 40 flights per week to the US cities of Houston, New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. With the new ULR flights, total US flight frequency will increase to 53 per week by December.
