Summary
- Singapore Airlines operates some of the longest routes in the world, including to the US, using Airbus A350s for ultra-long-haul flights.
- The airline's longest routes to the US are Singapore-Seattle, Singapore-San Francisco, Singapore-Los Angeles via non-stop flights launched in recent years.
- Other notable ultra-long-haul routes include Singapore-Newark and Singapore-New York, making Singapore Airlines a key player in long-distance travel.
From its hub at Singapore Changi Airport (SIN), Singapore Airlines famously operates some of the longest routes in the world. The carrier has an extensive long-haul network, with a significant footprint in Asia, Europe, and Oceania. It also operates two routes to Africa - Johannesburg (JNB) and Cape Town (CPT). However, its longest routes are to the US.
Photo: The Global Guy | Shutterstock
The airline's longest routes are operated by its Airbus A350s. According to ch-aviation, the carrier's fleet currently contains 64 A350s, of which 57 are A350-900s and seven are A350-900ULRs. The -ULR aircraft have an extended range of up to 11,163 miles (17,964 km) thanks to their premium-only cabin configuration, reducing total passenger capacity to 161. Using data from August 2024 from Cirium, an aviation analytics company, what are Singapore Airlines' five longest routes?
5 Singapore (SIN) - Seattle (SEA)
8,068 miles (12,984 km)
Launched in September 2019, when it became the first ever non-stop flight from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) to Southeast Asia. As reported by The Seattle Times at the time of the launch, James Boyd, the airline's President of Public Relations, explained the logic behind starting flights to Seattle, saying:
“It’s a fantastic balance of strong corporate traffic, strong leisure traffic. We know that there’s a lot of interest in travel not just to Singapore but beyond Singapore to all throughout Southeast Asia, even markets like Western Australia. This will be the fastest way to get to places that were previously really far-flung, like Perth. Now you have a faster, more efficient way of getting there that brings the destination a little bit closer.”
Photo: Bradley Caslin | Shutterstock
Today, the route operates four times per week, representing a total of 4,554 seats available in each direction in August 2024 (253 per flight). In further transpacific expansion to come in August 2024, Seattle will welcome Taiwanese carrier Starlux Airlines with direct service to Taipei (TPE), following in the footsteps of Delta Air Lines.
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4 Singapore (SIN) - San Francisco (SFO)
8,440 miles (13,582 km)
In August 2024, Singapore Airlines operates two daily flights in each direction between Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) and San Francisco International Airport (SFO), one of which is operated by the premium-heavy Airbus A350-900ULR. The carrier launched non-stop flights to San Francisco in October 2016 - prior to this, the route was operated via Hong Kong (HKG).
Singapore Airlines faces competition from United Airlines on its San Francisco route. The fellow Star Alliance member airline operates a twice-daily service using the Boeing 787-9. In fact, San Francisco is the only route in this list on which Singapore Airlines faces competition - on all other routes it is the sole operator.
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3 Singapore (SIN) - Los Angeles (LAX)
8,758 miles (14,094 km)
Non-stop flights between Singapore and Los Angeles were launched in November 2018, and in August 2024, Singapore Airlines will operate 44 non-stop flights in each direction. The carrier also operates daily flights to Los Angeles via Tokyo Narita (NRT) with the Boeing 777-300ER.
Photo:Santi Rodriguez IShutterstock
Despite the relatively high frequency of flights, Singapore Airlines' service from Los Angeles did not make it into the Top 3 busiest transpacific routes from the California airport last year were:
- Seoul (ICN) - 977,000 passengers (Air Premia, Asiana Airlines, Korean Air)
- Taipei (TPE) - 885,000 passengers (China Airlines, EVA Air, Starlux Airlines)
- Tokyo (HND) - 846,000 passengers (All Nippon Airways, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Japan Airlines, United Airlines).
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They span four continents.
2 Singapore (SIN) - Newark (EWR)
9,484 miles (15,263 km)
Singapore Airlines launched its flagship non-stop service to Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) in October 2004, deploying its premium-configured Airbus A340-500s on the route. The service was relaunched in October 2018 using the A350-900ULR, which also features a low-density configuration of 94 in premium economy and 67 in business class.
The service currently operates with a block time of 18:25 hrs to Newark and 19:10 hrs on the return leg to Singapore. These have been extended considerably due to ongoing Russian airspace restrictions.
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1 Singapore (SIN) - New York (JFK)
9,487 miles (15,267 km)
The longest non-stop flight operated by Singapore Airlines and also the longest non-stop flight by any airline in the world. This route was introduced in November 2020, at a time when the airline's service to Newark was suspended due to the pandemic. Newark service was reinstated in 2022, and the carrier has operated both services since.
.JPG "Ultra-Long-Haul: A Look At Singapore Airlines' 5 Longest Routes (8)")
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying
Flights are operated by the Airbus A350-900ULR, but Singapore Airlines offers another option for passengers wishing to travel between Singapore and New York - the carrier also flies the route via Frankfurt (FRA) with its A380s, making it the airline's only A380 routes to the US.
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Singapore Airlines operates two of the five longest flights in the world, both of which are covered in this list. The Top 5 overall is currently made up of:
- Singapore (SIN) - New York (JFK) Singapore Airlines
- Singapore (SIN) - Newark (EWR) Singapore Airlines
- Doha (DOH) - Auckland (AKL) Qatar Airways
- Perth (PER) - London (LHR) Qantas
- Melbourne (MEL) - Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) Qantas
