By the end of 2018, passengers on Singapore Airlines’ newest plane, the Airbus A350-900ULR (Ultra Long-Range) will be able to travel from Singapore to New York non-stop in 19 hours. By Pallavi Mehra
They will beat Qatar Airways that currently operates the longest non-stop flight of nearly 18 hours between Auckland and Doha. This latest development comes after a brief break that Singapore Airlines took from the title of the longest flight time: between years 2004 and 2013, the airline connected its home ground to New York in 19 hours.
the first set of test flights have been completed and the new planes are presently stationed at the Airbus assembly plant in Toulouse, France. While the aviation industry is looking forward to this new advancement, there are fears about spending nearly a day aboard one plane. These worries have been put to rest with reports suggesting that the new airplanes are specially designed to have a more pleasant cabin experience.
The planes will be equipped with a sophisticated LED lighting system to help fight jet lag, an air management system that replenishes air every two minutes, high ceilings, partial noise cancellation technology, and more windows. Additionally, these planes will have fewer seats to reduce the overall weight of the plane and thereby improve passenger comfort. It has been speculated that the flight will offer only business and premium economy class seats.
As reported by The Straits Times, a Singapore Airlines spokesman said: “Following the first flight of the ultra-long-range aircraft, SIA is looking forward to launching our own flights before the end of the year. We expect to be able to announce the first destination within the next few weeks.”