Did you know that passengers on the New York-Singapore flight have to spend almost a day on the plane to reach their destination?
In 2022, this air route is the longest in the world both in terms of length and duration. To fly, the airliner must cover a distance of 15,332 km. The average duration of such a flight is 18 hours and 45 minutes. It can change if the plane needs to change course, or if there is a headwind or tailwind.
Flights on the longest route are operated by Singapore Airlines. For such a flight, she ordered a special version of the Airbus A350-900 ULR aircraft. ULR stands for Ultra Long Range.
Special plane
The Airbus A350-900 ULR can cover a distance of 15,332 km without intermediate refueling stops thanks to the increased capacity of the fuel tanks. It was increased by 24,000 liters to 165,000 liters. For this, additional tanks were not installed, but only the existing fuel system was modified.
Singapore Airlines’ regular long-haul Airbus A350-900s have 253 seats and three cabins: Business, Premium Economy and Economy.
The ultra long-haul version has only 161 seats and no economy class cabin at all. The airline decided that it would be very difficult for passengers in ordinary seats to spend almost a day in a closed space.
That is why the Airbus A350-900 ULR flies from Singapore to New York, in which there is only business class and premium economy class.
In business class, the chair folds into a horizontal bed. In premium economy class, the seats have a wider width compared to economy class and a greater angle of inclination for in-flight relaxation.
TOP-10 ultra-long-haul air routes
Aviation data analysis organization OAG has compiled a list of the TOP 10 ultra-long-haul routes that airlines operate on a regular basis.
Route Length Duration scheduled Airline
1. New York (John Kennedy) – Singapore 15,332 km 18 hours 30 minutes
2. New York (Newark) – Singapore 15,329 km 18 hours 30 minutes
3. London (Heathrow) – Perth 14,499 km 16 hours 35 minutes
4. Auckland – New York (John Kennedy) 14,209 km 15 hours 55 minutes
5. Los Angeles – Singapore 14,096 km 17 hours 50 minutes
6. Dallas/Fort Worth – Sydney 13,802 km 17 hours 5 minutes
7. New York (JFK) – Manila 13,691 km 17 hours 10 minutes
8. San Francisco – Singapore 13,575 km 17 hours 35 minutes
9. Atlanta – Johannesburg: 13,573 km 15 hours 10 minutes
10. Dubai – Los Angeles: 13,395 km 16 hours 15 minutes
It turned out that a total of four of them were Singapore Airlines flights. The airline flies from Singapore to New York at two airports – John F. Kennedy and Newark. The flight to Newark is only 3 kilometers shorter than the longest flight in the world to JFK.
The airline’s route network also includes flights between Singapore and Los Angeles, Singapore and San Francisco. They took the fifth and eighth place, respectively, in the TOP-10 longest air routes.