In-flight entertainment systems will need to be top quality in the future as ultra-long non-stop routes are becoming all the rage.
Qantas announced a non-stop 19-hour flight between Australia and the UK within two years – and now Singapore Airlines is set to launch a non-stop journey that’s the same, gruelling length.
In a statement this week Singapore Airlines announced that it would resume offering 19-hour flights from Singapore to New York in 2018.
The carrier previously operated the long haul route until 2013.
Singapore Airlines says that due to demand the service will resume with the help of a brand new aircraft.
The plane in question will be Airbus’ new ‘ultra-long range’ version of its A350-900, of which Singapore Airlines will be the launch customer.
The high-tech newly converted planes will have the capability of flying up to 19 hours using the increased fuel capacity of its system from 141,000 litres to 165,000 litres.
Our customers have been asking us to re-start non-stop Singapore-US flights and we are pleased that Airbus was able to offer the right aircraft to do so in a commercially viable manner,’ said Singapore Airlines CEO Goh Choon Phong.
The airline has placed an order for 67 of the Airbus A350s, and as more of the efficient planes are added to the fleet, the plan is to resume the 19-hour Singapore-LA route in the near future as well.
At the moment, fliers wishing to make the 8,700-nautical-mile journey to the Big Apple from Singapore have to face the delights of a 22-hour journey, with at least one connection.
LA-bound passengers have a slightly shorter ordeal, with the trip currently taking around 17 hours or more, also with a stop.
Battle is on: Qantas also plans to offer 19-hour flights – from Perth to London
The news comes after Qantas revealed plans to offer a non-stop 19-hour flight between Australia and the UK within two years.
If it does launch before Singapore Airlines’ 19-hour route it will briefly give Qantas the crown of operating the world’s longest non-stop commercial flight.
The airline’s chief executive Alan Joyce said they aim to fly between Perth and London using its new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner by 2017.
‘This opens up direct service from Australia to Europe for the first time,’ he said.
The potential flight path would need two pairs of pilots, extra cabin crew and a proper rest area for airline staff.
Qantas has already ordered eight Boeing 787-9 planes to replace its 747 fleet.
The new aircraft will have roughly 250 seats and include business class, premium economy and economy.
Qantas already operates the current longest route in the world, from Sydney to Dallas-Fort Worth.
Source…..www.dailymail.co.uk
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