Singapore Airlines Launches Ultra-long-range A350-900

In a press release on Tuesday (Oct 13), SIA says it has 63 A350-900s on firm order and seven of them will be upgraded to an ultra-long-range variant.

Nonstop flights between Singapore and additional points in the U.S. are under consideration, the carrier said. The airline previously used using four engine Airbus A340s on these routes, but cancelled the flights following spiralling fuel costs.

SIA is counting down the days to a resumption of Singapore-New York nonstop flights.

The Southeast Asian carrier still operates one-stop flights to Singapore from New York, Los Angeles, Houston and San Francisco.

Representing a distance of a few 8,700 nautical miles, the New York service will be the world’s longest commercial passenger route, with an expected flight time of up to 19 hours. “ULR” stands for “ultra long range”. The longest existing regularly scheduled plane service is Qantas’ 8,578-mile flight from Dallas to Sydney, which takes 17 hours.

The services will be operated using a new, ultra-long-range variant of the Airbus 350, which the European plane maker will build for SIA.

As part of the deal to convert its A350 orders to the new long-range version, SIA has also chose to confirm an order for four more A350 aircraft, out of 20 that the airline had on option. According to Airbus President and CEO Fabrice Bregier: “The A-350 is the flawless, flexible platform for such operations, offering unrivaled operating economics for the very longest routes”.

“And the wider and quieter cabin will provide the flawless environment for passengers to enjoy the world-famous Singapore Airlines in-flight product”.

Singapore Airlines is preparing to take delivery of its first A350-900 early in 2016.

Optimised for nonstop flights to the USA, the aircraft will include a modified fuel system to increase fuel-carrying capacity, an increase in maximum take-off weight and other aerodynamic improvements, Airbus said.

Airbus said it now has firm orders for 783 A350s from 41 customers.