New Longhaul Record
Singapore Airlines was due to make history yesterday by setting a record for the world’s longest scheduled flight, carrying passengers on a 16-hour, non-stop journey from Singapore to Los Angeles. The airline is using an Airbus A345 for the route, carrying 117 passengers. The return journey takes eighteen and a half hours, two hours faster than the existing route via Taiwan. Passengers are given two meals on the day-long flight and will get “warm snacks” if they feel peckish. The aircraft also has a “passengers’ corner” where people can stretch their legs and socialise. The initiative is a response to strong demand from business travellers on the route, which stretches 7,937 miles over the Pacific. Singapore Airlines placed an order with Anglo-French Airbus for 10 A345s six years ago, in a deal worth $2.2bn (£1.2bn). The airline is planning to launch an 18-hour direct service from Singapore to New York later this year. At present, the world’s longest scheduled non-stop flights include United Airlines’ service from Chicago to Hong Kong, which takes 15 hours 50 minutes. Most flights between the United States and south-east Asia have involved a stop at an intermediate hub such as Tokyo or Taipei. Singapore Airlines is the sixth largest international carrier in the world according to IATA rankings, carrying 14.7m passengers a year.