Ultra-long-haul (also known as "ultra-long-range operations" ) refers to the duration of a flight (flight time) being "ultra long." IATA, ICAO, and IFALPA jointly define any flight scheduled to last over 16 hours as "Ultra Long". [1] [2] [3] [4]
These flights usually follow a great circle route, often passing over a polar region. In some cases, non-stop ultra-long-haul routes could be less preferable to stopover flights as passengers on ultra-long-haul nonstop flights must sit in the aircraft for those long hours. [5] A low-oil-price environment favors the establishment and operation of ultra-long-haul flights.
Since 9 November 2020, Singapore Airlines SQ 23/24 is the world's longest active commercial flight, between Singapore and New York JFK airport, covering 15,349 km (9,537 mi; 8,288 nmi) in around 18 hours and 40 minutes, operated by an Airbus A350-900ULR. [6]
Ultra-long-haul flights lasting over 16 hours have been around since the 1930s. While modern jet aircraft travel at faster speeds and cover longer distances, the record for the longest scheduled commercial ultra-long-haul flight route was set in 1943. [7] Some of the historical ultra-long-haul routes include:
In the late 2000s/early 2010s, rapidly rising fuel prices, coupled with an economic crisis, resulted in cancellation of many ultra-long-haul non-stop flights. [5] This included the services provided by Singapore Airlines from Singapore to Newark and Los Angeles that were ended in late 2013 [17] [18] as well as similar lengthy flights from New York to both Mumbai and Bangkok. [19] As fuel prices later decreased and more fuel efficient aircraft were introduced to the market, the economics of ultra-long-haul flights improved and more distant markets became served by new and reinstated services. By 2023, 29 of the 30 longest flights in the world (by great circle distance), were now all ultra-long-haul in duration ranging from 16 hours to 18 hours and 50 minutes in duration.
The longest range jetliner in service is the Airbus A350 XWB Ultra Long Range, capable of flying up to 18,000 kilometres (9,700 nmi; 11,000 mi). The Airbus A380 is capable of flying 14,800 kilometres (8,000 nmi; 9,200 mi) with 544 passengers.
The longest range Boeing airliner in service is the 777-200LR, which can cover 17,395 kilometres (9,393 nmi; 10,809 mi) with 301 passengers. [25] [26] The Boeing 777-8X is capable of flying 16,170 kilometres (8,730 nmi; 10,050 mi) with 350 to 375 passengers. The Boeing 787-9 is capable of flying 14,800 kilometres (8,000 nmi; 9,200 mi) with 290 passengers. [27] Longer ranges are possible when not carrying passengers.
New airliners like the Airbus A330neo, Airbus A350 and Boeing 787 enable economically sustainable nonstop ultra-long-haul operations on thinner routes with fewer demands, because all the previous planes capable of providing nonstop ultra-long-haul services are larger and thus more expensive to operate compared to these planes, which in turn require more tickets to be sold and more demands between both destinations to maintain the profitability of those services. [28]
Malaysia Airlines Berhad, formerly known as Malaysian Airline System, and branded as Malaysia Airlines, is the flag carrier of Malaysia and a member of the Oneworld airline alliance. The company headquarters are at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. In August 2014, the Malaysian government's sovereign wealth fund Khazanah Nasional—which then owned 69.37% of the airline—announced its intention to purchase the remaining ownership from minority shareholders and delist the airline from Malaysia's stock exchange, thereby renationalising the airline. It operates primarily from its main hub Kuala Lumpur International Airport to destinations throughout Asia, Oceania and Europe, as well as its secondary hub Kota Kinabalu International Airport to Taipei and Tokyo (Narita).
Singapore Airlines is the flag carrier of Singapore with its hub located at Changi Airport, and a member of the Star Alliance. The airline is notable for highlighting the Singapore Girl as its central figure in the corporate branding segment. Widely renowned as one of the best carriers, the airline is ranked as a 5-star airline by Skytrax, and it has also been ranked as the world's best airline five times. The airline operates a variety of Airbus and Boeing aircraft, namely the A350, A380, Boeing 737, Boeing 747 Freighter, Boeing 777 and Boeing 787.
The Airbus A340 is a long-range, wide-body passenger airliner that was developed and produced by Airbus. In the mid-1970s, Airbus conceived several derivatives of the A300, its first airliner, and developed the A340 quadjet in parallel with the A330 twinjet. In June 1987, Airbus launched both designs with their first orders and the A340-300 took its maiden flight on 25 October 1991. It was certified along with the A340-200 on 22 December 1992 and both versions entered service in March 1993 with launch customers Lufthansa and Air France. The larger A340-500/600 were launched on 8 December 1997; the A340-600 flew for the first time on 23 April 2001 and entered service on 1 August 2002.
The Airbus A330 is a wide-body aircraft developed and produced by Airbus. Airbus conceived several derivatives of the A300, its first airliner from the mid-1970s. Then the company began development on the A330 twinjet in parallel with the A340 quadjet and launched both designs with their first orders in June 1987. The A330-300, the first variant, took its maiden flight in November 1992 and entered service with Air Inter in January 1994. The slightly shorter A330-200 variant followed in 1998.
ETOPS is an acronym for Extended-range Twin-engine Operations Performance Standards—a special part of flight rules for one-engine-inoperative flight conditions. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) coined the acronym for twin-engine aircraft operation in airspace further than one hour from a diversion airport at the one-engine-inoperative cruise speed, over water or remote lands, or on routes previously restricted to three- and four-engine aircraft.
The Airbus A350 is a long-range, wide-body twin-engine airliner developed and produced by Airbus. The initial A350 design proposed by Airbus in 2004, in response to the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, would have been a development of the Airbus A330 with composite wings and new engines. Due to inadequate market support, Airbus switched in 2006 to a clean-sheet "XWB" design, powered by two Rolls-Royce Trent XWB high bypass turbofan engines. The prototype first flew on 14 June 2013 from Toulouse, France. Type certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) was obtained in September 2014, followed by certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) two months later.
Singapore Airlines operates a predominantly widebody fleet, until the second re-introduction of the Boeing 737 in March 2021 following the merger with SilkAir. The airline also operates Boeing 747-400F and Boeing 777F freighters. As of December 2023, there were 161 aircraft registered in the Singapore Airlines fleet, comprising 149 passenger aircraft and 12 freighters.
The Kangaroo Route is a term coined by Qantas, referring to the commercial passenger air routes flown between Australia and the United Kingdom via the Eastern Hemisphere.
A twinjet or twin-engine jet is a jet aircraft powered by two engines. A twinjet is able to fly well enough to land with a single working engine, making it safer than a single-engine aircraft in the event of failure of an engine. Fuel efficiency of a twinjet is better than that of aircraft with more engines. These considerations have led to the widespread use of aircraft of all types with twin engines, including airliners, fixed-wing military aircraft, and others.
In aviation, the flight length or flight distance refers to the distance of a flight. Aircraft do not necessarily follow the great-circle distance, but may opt for a longer route due to weather, traffic, to utilise a jet stream, or to refuel.
Premium economy class, also known by brand names which vary by company, is a travel class offered on many airlines. It is usually positioned between standard economy class and business class in terms of price, comfort, and available amenities. In 1991, EVA Air was the first to introduce Evergreen Class, becoming the first airline to offer this class of service. It was widely acknowledged that the premium economy class has become a standard reflection of what the Business Class was like several decades ago. In some countries, this class has emerged as a response from governments and companies requiring economy class for travel done by staff.
Singapore Airlines Flights 21 and 22 are airline routes operated by Singapore Airlines between Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) and Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR). They were the two longest regularly scheduled non-stop flights in the world, until surpassed by Singapore Airlines Flights 23 and 24 between Singapore Changi Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in November 2020.
A polar route is an aircraft route across the uninhabited polar ice cap regions. The term "polar route" was originally applied to great circle navigation routes between Europe and the west coast of North America in the 1950s.
The fuel economy in aircraft is the measure of the transport energy efficiency of aircraft. Fuel efficiency is increased with better aerodynamics and by reducing weight, and with improved engine brake-specific fuel consumption and propulsive efficiency or thrust-specific fuel consumption. Endurance and range can be maximized with the optimum airspeed, and economy is better at optimum altitudes, usually higher. An airline efficiency depends on its fleet fuel burn, seating density, air cargo and passenger load factor, while operational procedures like maintenance and routing can save fuel.
Qantas Flight 7 (QF7/QFA7) and Qantas Flight 8 (QF8/QFA8) are flights operated by Australian airline Qantas between Sydney Airport and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, which, from 2013 to 2016, were the longest regularly scheduled non-stop commercial flights in the world. As of January 2024, they are the 11th longest regularly scheduled non-stop commercial flights in the world as measured by great-circle distance—13,804 kilometres, which is over one third of the distance around Earth.
This article explores the history of Singapore Airlines, the flag carrier of the Republic of Singapore and based at the Singapore Changi Airport. Singapore Airlines, also known by its abbreviations of SIA or SQ, has often been ranked throughout its history as either amongst the best or the best airline in the world.
Over time, commercial airlines have established a number of scheduled ultra long-haul non-stop flights. These exceptionally long routes reduce the travel time between distant city pairs as well as the number of stops needed for passengers' travels, thereby increasing passenger convenience. For an airline, choosing to operate long flights can also build brand image as well as loyalty among a set of flyers. Therefore, competition among airlines to establish the longest flight occurs.
Air Tahiti Nui Flight 64 (TN64/THT64) was the world's longest domestic flight ever. It was created due to restrictions imposed by the United States over international flights in a context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The flight, operated by Air Tahiti Nui, was between Papeete in French Polynesia and Paris in metropolitan France, traversing a distance of 15,715 kilometres and taking 16 hours, 26 minutes. It was a domestic flight as French Polynesia forms an integral part of the French Republic.
Singapore Airlines Flights 23 and 24 are the longest regularly scheduled non-stop flights in the world, operated by Singapore Airlines between Singapore Changi Airport and New York–JFK. The route launched on 9 November 2020.
