When it comes to flying lengthy non-stop services, Star Alliance member Singapore Airlines is
perhaps one of the most experienced carriers.
Over the past two decades, this airline has been operating the world’s longest service
on and off for a cumulative period of approximately 13 years.
Indeed, it has given up the title twice due to service suspensions and cancelations.
With North America as one of its focus regions, we examine the longest flights operated by
Singapore Airlines in July 2023.
As we’ve noted in previous videos, this video list is based on straight-line distances.
Thus, real-world routings as a result of airspace restrictions and meteorological factors are
likely to result in different distances and may actually alter rankings.
Just like Delta, Singapore Airlines relies on the Airbus A350-900 for all of its longest
services.
Indeed, the airline often credits the Airbus widebody for making such distant city pairs
profitable.
Unlike Delta, however, Singapore Airlines operates the Airbus A350-900ULR.
This specially-modified A350-900 can carry more fuel due to a modified fuel system.
This technical ability, combined with a premium-cabin-only configuration, allows the airline to operate
its two longest services more profitably.
The A350-900ULR has a published range of 17,964 km (11,163 miles), a couple thousand miles
further than Singapore Airlines' longest service.
Getting to our list, spot number five is the route between Singapore and Seattle.
This has flight numbers SQ27/28.
The Direct distance for this route is 13,583 km (8,068 miles)
Its Average duration outbound is 14 hours and 01 minute while returning to Singapore
will take an average of 15 hours and 30 minutes.
Singapore Airlines’ service to Seattle is relatively new.
The airline conducted its first flight to the Emerald City in September 2019.
According to the Seattle Times, a spokesperson for the airline said at the time that the
route was a quote "fantastic balance of strong corporate traffic [and] strong leisure traffic."
Before the launch of its Seattle service, the airline used to serve Vancouver, Canada,
with a stop at Seoul Incheon.
However, this service was dropped in 2009 due to government restrictions limiting the
service to three times per week.
As noted previously, the airline gives credit to the A350 for making the route viable.
An airline spokesperson told The Seattle Times: “We were just waiting for an aircraft technology
that could do it nonstop and that could do it with a cost of operation that would make
the route viable…We knew that Seattle was an up-and-coming destination.
We knew that it was an up-and-coming business center, but we weren’t quite sure it was
ready until recently.
Now everything’s really come together — the constraint of Vancouver, the right technology
aircraft, the readiness of Seattle as a business center.”
Singapore Airlines tried to make Vancouver work again with a seasonal service in late
2021.
This second time around, service to the Canadian city was part of a multi-stop itinerary with
Seattle.
Profitable or not, the airline has since decided to shift its resources to serve other destinations,
axing the Vancouver service once again.
Indeed, it will pull the plug on this short-lived route in October 2023.
In spot #4 is Singapore - San Francisco with two services: SQ31/32 & SQ33/34.
The Direct distance is 13,583 km (8,440 miles) while its Average duration outbound is 14
hours and 36 minutes.
Returning to singapore will have an average duration of 15 hours and 42 minutes.
This non-stop service was launched in October 2016.
At the time, the airline was already serving San Francisco.
This other flight, however, was operating via a stop in Hong Kong.
These days, the carrier flies to San Francisco non-stop twice daily.
Outbound, the first A350 (SQ32) departs Singapore for San Francisco at 09:25 local time, while
the other (SQ34) takes at the other end of the day, at 19:50.
In spot #3 is the non-stop service to Los Angeles.
Flying twice daily, we have flights SQ35/36 & SQ37/38.
Slightly longer than the service to San Francisco, we have a direct distance of 14,095 km (8,758
miles).
The Average duration outbound is 15 hours and 08 minutes while it’s an average duration
of 16 hours returning to Singapore.
This city pair, as a non-stop offering, commenced in November 2018, with the route initially
served three times per week.
Surpassing San Francisco in terms of overall frequency, Singapore Airlines serves Los Angeles
with more than double-daily service.
Indeed, the airline will see 10 flights per week in July.
Beyond these non-stop flights, the carrier operates a Singapore-Tokyo-Los Angeles service.
This single-stop route uses the Boeing 777-300ER with flight numbers SQ11/12.
The Tokyo-Los Angeles portion is bookable on its own, making it a fifth freedom service.
At the time of the route's launch Singapore Airlines CEO, Mr Goh Choon Phong, stated:
“Our US services have always been popular with our customers and we are pleased to be
able to provide even more travel options with the launch of non-stop flights between Singapore
and Los Angeles.”
In second place is Singapore - Newark Liberty (flights SQ21/22)
The Direct distance for this is 15,263 km (9,484 miles).
The Average duration outbound is 18 hours and 06 minutes while the Average flight duration
inbound is 18 hours and 54 minutes.
This airport pair has held the title of the world’s longest non-stop commercial flight
for many years.
Indeed, the website Mainly Miles highlights that Newark was Singapore Airlines’ original
choice when it launched non-stop flights to New York in June 2004.
From 2004 to 2013, the airline operated this route using Airbus A340-500s.
Citing profitability challenges, the airline ended this offering in 2013.
The airline then re-launched its non-stop Newark service in October 2018, initially
serving the New York metropolitan area three times a week.
Commenting on the revival of flights to Newark, airline CEO, Mr Goh Choon Phong stated:
“Singapore Airlines has always taken pride in pushing the boundaries to provide the best
possible travel convenience for our customers, and we are pleased to be leading the way with
these new non-stop flights using the latest-technology, ultra-long-range Airbus A350-900ULR."
While this route has been the world’s longest in terms of straight-line distance, more recent
airspace bans have actually made it even longer.
It’s because prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, the airline used
the polar route (Siberian corridor) to get between the two cities.
This is demonstrated with the flight path image above.
These days, however, Singapore Airlines truly flies 'around the world' for its New York
services.
Departing Singapore, an A350-900ULR takes a longer route over the Pacific Ocean.
The return service, rather than backtracking, continues flying east, over the Atlantic and
over the Eurasian continent.
Finally in spot #1, we have Singapore - New York JFK (SQ23/24)
The flight’s average duration outbound is 18 hours and 17 minutes while its average
flight duration flying to Singapore is 18 hours and 41 minutes.
The longest non-stop flight operated by Singapore Airlines, and indeed, the longest flight in
the world is Singapore Airlines’ service to New York JFK.
This has a Direct distance of 15,268 km (9,487 miles)
In terms of this straight-line distance, you can see that this route narrowly beats out
Singapore-Newark by a mere three miles (five kilometers).
With the two airports being so close to one another, there shouldn’t be a significant
difference in flight time.
Rather, the amount of time you’ll spend on the aircraft for either flight will depend
on airport congestion and air traffic patterns.
Non-stop flights to JFK were first launched in November 2020,in place of its Newark service.
However, Singapore Airlines was no stranger to New York JFK.
As highlighted by the website Mainly Miles, the airline “first launched flights to and
from New York JFK Airport on 1st July 1992, with Boeing 747-400s operating six times weekly.”
Three of these flights stopped in Frankfurt, and the other three in Brussels.
As noted by One Mile At A Time, the airline explained its reasons for switching from Newark
to JFK, saying: "Operating to JFK International Airport would
allow Singapore Airlines to better accommodate a mix of passenger and cargo traffic on its
services to New York in the current operating climate.
SIA’s non-stop services to New York would also be supported by the growing number of
transfer passengers who can now transit via Singapore’s Changi Airport."
With surging travel demand post-pandemic, the airline's service to Newark was restored
on March 27th.
This means that the airline serves the New York City area non-stop, with two flights
per day.
Just like the services to and from Newark, SQ23/24 flies in an eastward direction for
both the outbound and inbound flights due to the ongoing ban from Russian airspace.
Since 18 hours and 41 minutes is just the inbound average, passengers will occasionally
spend an even longer time on the aircraft.
Indeed, according to FlightRadar24.com data, June 21st’s iteration of SQ23 lasted 19
hours and 15 minutes!
In addition to non-stop flights to JFK or Newark, there's a third option.
Singapore Airlines also deploys the 777-300ER to JFK via Frankfurt.
While this was previously operated using the Airbus A380, the airline has downgraded SQ25/26
to the Boeing twinjet.
Examining our list, it's clear that California and New York are the two regions for which
Singapore Airlines has decided to focus its resources.
Clearly, this has been profitable for the airline, considering the number of frequencies
for each destination.
What do you think of Singapore Airlines' longest route?
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