Singapore airlines is set to re-launch the world’s longest commercial flight in October, a journey that takes 19 hours from the City state to New York but will not be available to economy class travellers.
The daily, non-stop journey from Changi to Newark Airport will cover about 16,700 kilometers (10,300 miles) and take about 18 hours 45 minutes, the airline said in a statement.
The airline will use the long-range Airbus A350-900ULR, which will be able to ferry 161 passengers: 67 in business class and 94 in premium economy.
Qatar Airways currently holds this record with Flight 921 from Auckland to Doha, which takes 17 hours 40 minutes.
The carrier had flown a similar route from 2004 until 2013 which was later cancelled due to failure of reaching revenue expectations. However, its latest decision comes as carriers look for new sources of revenue in a competitive environment, while long-haul flights often make more cash than those that require stops.
There are also plans for a non-stop route from Singapore to Los Angeles using the same plane, the airline said. Last year, it consolidated its low-cost units TigerAir and Scoot into a single entity in a streamlining exercise. Plans are underway to absorb its struggling premium regional wing, SilkAir, into the broader group following a multi-million-dollar upgrade as part of reforms to stay competitive
