SIA plans 18-hour non-stop flights
Singapore Airlines plans to operate the longest non-stop commercial flight with an 18-hour link to New York.
The airline is to deploy ultra long range Airbus A340-500s on the Singapore-New York route with the first flight on 28 June.
SIA claims the aircraft – dubbed by the airline as the A345LeaderShip – will be configured as “the world’s first all premium” long haul service, with 181 seats in a two-class configuration.
The 18-hour flight time cuts four hours off the current existing one-stop travel time between the two cities. The daily flight will cover 9,000 nautical miles, departing Singapore at 1205 and arriving at 1830 the same day. The return leaves New York (Newark) at 2300, arriving in Singapore at 0535 two days later.
The airline says the aircraft are designed to enable travellers to move around during the flight, with “passenger corners” in both cabins. Here they can “stretch out” and help themselves to drinks and snacks.
The A340 will feature 64 lie-flat seats in Raffles business class, each with a personal video monitor, AC power supply and DVD port.
The remaining 117 seats in Executive Economy Class are claimed to be the widest at 20 inches, with a 37-inch seat pitch and a seat-back recline of eight inches.
The introduction of the non-stop service means that SIA is withdrawing a one-stop flight via Amsterdam to New York, which operates four times a week. Despite this, overall frequency between Singapore and New York will rise to 14 flights a week.
Report by Phil Davies
Phil Davies
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