by Donald Wood
Last updated: 1:19 PM ET, Wed May 30, 2018
Singapore Airlines announced Wednesday it will launch the world's longest commercial flight starting in October.
Scheduled to debut October 12, the airline's new non-stop service between Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey and Singapore Changi Airport will operate using the new Airbus A350-900ULR.
Initially, the service will operate three times a week, departing Newark on Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday. The route will then expand to daily operations October 19 when Singapore adds a new A350-900ULR to its fleet.
Singapore Airlines is the first customer to receive the new Airbus, and the planes are configured in a two-class layout, with 67 Business Class seats and 94 Premium Economy Class seats. Tickets go on sale Thursday.
The new international flights will cover a distance of approximately 9,000 nautical miles, which will take around 18 hours and 45 mins to complete. The airline originally operated the Newark-Singapore route until 2013 until fleet changes forced its suspension.
"Singapore Airlines has always taken pride in pushing the boundaries to provide the best possible travel convenience for our customers, and we are pleased to be leading the way with these new non-stop flights using the latest technology, the ultra-long-range Airbus A350-900ULR," Singapore Airlines CEO Goh Choon Phong said in a statement.
"The flights will offer our customers the fastest way to travel between the two cities - in great comfort, together with Singapore Airlines' legendary service - and will help boost connectivity to and through the Singapore hub," the Singapore CEO continued.
The first A350-900ULR is due for delivery in September and will provide passengers with unique features, including higher ceilings, larger windows, an extra wide body and lighting designed to reduce jet lag.
The carrier already operates flights to Singapore from Houston, Los Angeles, New York City and San Francisco, and plans to add new Non-stop Los Angeles-Singapore flights with the introduction of the A350-900ULR planes.
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