SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore Airlines Ltd said it would launch the world's longest commercial flight in October, a near-19 hour non-stop journey from Singapore to the New York area.
Airlines including Singapore Airlines, Australia's Qantas Airways Ltd and U.S.-based United Continental Holdings Inc are adding ultra-long haul flights that can capture an airfare premium of around 20 percent versus flights involving one or more stops.
The Singapore-Newark flight marks the return of a popular route for Singapore Airlines. The carrier had flown the marathon flights until 2013, when high fuel prices made the use of four-engine Airbus SE A340-500 jets uneconomic. It has since flown to New York's JFK Airport via Frankfurt.
Singapore Airlines is Airbus' first and to date only customer for the A350-900ULR, an ultra-long range version of the fuel-efficient twin-engine A350 jet.
Qantas has said it is considering the purchase of the A350-900ULR or Boeing Co's 777X to allow it to fly non-stop from Sydney to London from 2022, an even longer 9,200 nautical mile journey.
Singapore Airlines said on Wednesday that it also plans to introduce non-stop flights from Singapore to Los Angeles with the A350-900ULR at a later date.
The airline expects to receive its first A350-900ULR in September, with all seven on order due by the end of the year.
(Reporting by Jamie Freed; Editing by Himani Sarkar)
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