Singapore Airlines looks likely to regain the title of operating the world’s longest commercial flight after confirming its intention to revive non-stop US services.
The carrier said it planned to operate to New York and Los Angeles from 2018 after a four-year absence. It will run these services on Ultra Long Range Airbus A350-900s twin jets, of which it has seven on order. The airline previously used using four engine Airbus A340s on these routes, but cancelled the flights following spiralling fuel costs. The new aircraft should reduce fuel burn by about 25%.
Singapore Airlines’ chief executive Goh Choon Phong said: "Our customers have been asking us to restart non-stop Singapore-US flights and we are pleased that Airbus was able to offer the right aircraft to do so in a commercially viable manner.”
Singapore-New York has a flying time of up to 19 hours. The world’s longest commercial flight is currently Qantas’s Sydney to Dallas/Fort Worth service, which takes about 17 hours. Emirates is however due to take this title in February when it launches Dubai-Panama City, which is around 35 minutes longer.