According to the AP’s Scott Mayerowitz, Singapore Airlines is ending their nonstop flights from the U.S. (LAX & EWR) to Singapore. They have been the world’s longest nonstop flights. The Singapore to Newark route had a distance of 9,520 miles and flight time took 18 hours and 20 minutes. The Los Angeles to Singapore route had a distance of 8,760 miles but because of headwinds that flight was the longest in duration.

Although I haven’t taken the Singapore to Newark route since its inaugural flight on June 24th, 2004 it will always hold a special place in my heart and history. I used to be afraid to fly and to conquer the world’s longest flight was a huge milestone in my life – especially being on the very first one. How did the pilots even know they could make it that far I kept wondering to myself.

Singapore is ending the routes because they were being flown on gas-guzzling Airbus A340-500s and the only way to make them light enough to fly nonstop was configure the plane that could normally hold 250 passengers to just 98 business class seats.

I’m not sure when the Singapore service will end but the new titles for the longest flights will go to a Qantas route between Brisbane and Dallas at 8,300 miles and a Delta flight between Johannesburg and Atlanta which is 8,440 miles and a flight time of 17 hours.

Singapore Airlines will continue to serve New York’s JFK with its existing A380 plane which connects in Frankfurt and their Los Angeles A380 service goes through via Tokyo.

Here’s my trip report and photos from the 2004 flight and a link to my recent trip around the world on Singapore Airlines A380 (JFK-FRA-SIN-NRT-LAX).

1 Comment On "Singapore Airlines Ending World's Longest Flight"
  1. Perry A.|

    Wow! 18 hours is scarily long. I think i’d be seriously claustrophobic during that flight

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