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- Singapore Airlines has just inaugurated a new longest flight in the world, making the first non-stop flight from Singapore to New York on Monday.
- The 10,324-mile flight took just under 17 hours, according to Flightradar 24, with the first return flight scheduled for Wednesday.
- The new route comes at a special time for aviation, with Singapore Airlines kicking off the route before resuming flights to Newark, the oldest longest in the world, and delaying celebrations for now.
- Visit the Business Insider homepage for more stories.
In the wee hours of Monday morning, a Singapore Airlines plane made history as it left Singapore on a 10,000 mile nonstop trip to New York. The Singaporean flag bearer had launched his new route, one that would top the list of the longest in the world.
The inaugural flight, SQ24, took off from Singapore’s Changi Airport at 2:38 a.m., according to Flightradar 24, heading northeast across the South China Sea, passing between Taiwan and the Philippines before circling around Tokyo just off the Japanese coast. The night flight then saw it land again over Alaska before completing its arc over the Yukon and heading to New York via Canada.
Arriving at John F. Kennedy International Airport 10,324 miles and just under 17 hours later, the inaugural flight of the airline’s new route between Singapore and New York had ushered in a new era for travel between United States and Asia.
New Yorkers would now be able to fly nonstop to the island nation without having to venture outside of their own state, and the United States would get an additional link to one of its most important markets for commerce. and trade in a pandemic that saw airlines pull out of the region in its onset.
Previously, New Yorkers looking from their hometown international airport had to stop over in Frankfurt, Germany when traveling to Singapore if they were traveling with the carrier, and Singaporeans vice versa. If you are traveling with another airline, a connection would be required in a number of Asian or European cities serving as a stopover point for travel to the Far East.
Singapore Airlines only announced the route on October 20, less than three weeks before its launch. In 2018, nonstop flights between Singapore and Newark were announced five months before the launch, more than enough time for travelers to plan their trips, and the launch itself was highly celebrated with media coverage. .
This turn will be the opposite.
A silent launch for what would normally be a celebration
The goal of any national carrier is to connect their home country to distant lands and Singapore Airlines has a harder job than most to do, especially when it comes to connecting Singapore to the United States. The closest US city served by the airline before the pandemic is Seattle, over 8,000 miles away, which was just one of four cities served by the airline nonstop before March.
Flying so many ultra-long-haul flights to the United States has made Singapore Airlines an expert in this field and this is the second time in as many years that Singapore Airlines has launched a new longest flight in the world. The first took place in 2018 when the national airline relaunched non-stop flights between Singapore and Newark, the famous SQ21 and SQ22 on which Business Insider flew in economy and premium business class.
And even with the headlines calling out “World’s Longest Flight,” Singapore Airlines told Business Insider that this flight, in their book, did not exceed flights to Newark.
The reason: The flight from Newark to Singapore was scheduled by the airline for 18 hours and 45 minutes compared to the planned duration from New York to Singapore nonstop of 18 hours and 40 minutes. This is despite a large circular route distance difference of two nautical miles in favor of New York.
So, as aviation celebrates the launch of a new route during a pandemic that has seen countless cuts, holidays and industry contractions, Singapore Airlines will not be touting the new achievement or giving it the longest flight title. This is largely because the route will benefit Singapore Airlines’ cargo network more than passengers, in the short term.
“SIA is also forecasting significant demand for freight from a range of industries based in the New York metro area, including pharmaceutical, e-commerce and technology companies,” the airline said in its statement announcing the ‘route.
New York is home to a large freight facility for the airline where goods can be shipped directly to and from Singapore on what is now the only non-stop flight to the region. And since freight pays a premium during the pandemic, Singapore Airlines is betting on the success of the flight, even with fewer seats occupied in the passenger cabin above.
The future of the road
Singapore Airlines has yet to determine what will happen to the new route to the Big Apple once the pandemic ends and travel becomes possible again. For now, flights will continue to operate three times a week from Singapore on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, and return flights from New York will then depart on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
The load is expected to be lighter than normal for the popular route, as Americans who are not residents of Singapore or do not have government clearance cannot enter the country yet. Asian for tourism or business. Even those who can enter the country will need to be quarantined for two weeks.
However, travelers traveling to and from points beyond Singapore can still take the flight in either direction, provided they are departing from a city approved for transit by the airline.
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