Singapore Airlines will start taking the plane from Seattle, as part of a major expansion of the American automaker known for its high-end service.

Seattle flights will begin in September 2019, giving Singapore its first new market in the United States since 2008, when it added service from Houston.

Seattle stands out "because we know this economy is growing very fast," said TODAY USA Sek Eng Lee, regional vice president of Singapore Airlines for the Americas, citing names such as Amazon, Microsoft and Boeing.

"These big companies are based in this country and we see that there is a growing market," said Lee, adding that "demand from the leisure market is also growing."

The announcement of the Seattle flight comes as part of a larger and more publicized expansion of Singapore Airlines in the United States.

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Just three weeks ago, Singapore Airlines relaunched nonstop service between Newark (New Jersey) and Singapore, a 353-kilometer flight with a scheduled flight time of 18 hours and 30 minutes. Singapore recovered the title of having the longest regular flight in the world. The carrier made headlines around the world by crushing the former record holder, Qatar Airways, and its 9,032-mile flight between Doha (Qatar) and Auckland (New Zealand).

Friday, Singapore Airlines will take another US route, which will also be among the longest on the planet. Los Angeles-Singapore flights will cover 8,770 miles, making it the fifth longest in the world in terms of distance. The flight time for the stopover to Singapore is 17 hours and 50 minutes.

Singapore Airlines also travels to Northern California. It is already expanding its recently launched service between San Francisco and Singapore from ten to seven weekly flights.

Lee called these movements "a considerable extension of our American network".

Once the return flight between Singapore and Singapore takes place on September 3, the airline will make a total of 57 weekly flights from the United States, according to Lee. This growth represents a 43% increase in the frequency of flights compared to the airline's program in September 2018.

Singapore is perhaps best known around the world for its super-large Airbus A380 jets with ultra-luxurious suites. But it's a different plane that has been key to Singapore's recent growth spurt in the United States.

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This is the Airbus A350 and an "ultra long range" variant of the aircraft designed by Airbus at the request of Singapore Airlines.

The A350 twin-engine, which began flying for airlines in 2015, was already capable of making long intercontinental flights. But the "ULR" version has an even greater scope. Airbus says the ULR is capable of traveling about 11,100 statute miles while carrying a normal load of passengers and freight. The typical range of a standard A350-900 is about 9,300 km, according to Airbus specifications.

Singapore Airlines, which received its first A350 in 2016, totals 60 A350-900 ordered and seven other ULR variant. Four of the A350-900ULRs and 21 A350-900s have already been delivered to the carrier.

For Singapore, the ULR has allowed the resumption of direct flights between Singapore and Newark and Los Angeles. The carrier ceased operations in 2013 due to the gradual disappearance of its fuel-efficient four-engine four-engine Airbus A340s in the face of rising fuel prices.

"What really has changed is that with the introduction of the A350, the ultra long-range variant of this aircraft, we are able to relaunch these two links again." Lee said.

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"We now have an effective way to fly from Singapore to the United States. This is a very important market for us, "he added." We are very committed to this market. We intend to develop our footprint and continue to serve our customers with the best product and the best service possible.

Singapore will not need the ULR version for Seattle, where the carrier will use its standard A350-900 to travel the 8,070 miles traveled in 16 hours and 30 minutes.

Although this service will probably be one of the 30 longest scheduled flights in the world once it has been put in place, "the Airbus A350-900 will be able to fulfill this mission," said Lee.

For the moment, Lee has refused to say whether Singapore could expand its list of US destinations beyond Seattle, although he did not rule out that possibility.

"It depends on increased traffic and economic conditions," Lee said. "But, in fact, we do not think Seattle is the last destination we will add to the US We're always looking for new opportunities."

TODAY IN THE SKY: Flights from New York: the longest flight in the world (the story continues below)

US Airlines of Singapore Airlines

Newark

Non-stop to Singapore (service on Airbus 350-ULR jets)

New York JFK

Non stop to Frankfurt (Airbus A380 aircraft)

Houston Bush Intercontinental

Non stop to Manchester, England (Airbus A350-900)

Los Angeles

Non-stop to Singapore (as of November 2, Airbus A350-ULR jets)

Non stop to Seoul Incheon (Boeing 777-300ER)

San Francisco

Non-stop to Singapore (mix of Airbus A350-900 and A350-900ULR aircraft)

Non-stop on Hong Kong (Boeing B777-300ER)

Seattle

Non-stop to Singapore (as of September 3, 2019, Airbus A350-900 aircraft)

Source: Singapore Airlines

The longest US routes of Singapore Airlines

Newark-Singapore: 9,534 miles

Los Angeles-Singapore: 8,770 miles (will begin November 2)

San Francisco-Singapore: 8,446 miles

Seattle-Singapore: 8,070 miles (will begin September 3)

Source: Great Circle Mapper (gcmap.com)

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