The crown of the world's longest scheduled commercial air route has been held by a handful of pairings over the past few decades. With modern aircraft capable of flying at ranges out of reach of previous-generation aircraft, airlines are able to operate nonstop connections that were previously unimaginable. Ultra-long-range aircraft like the Airbus A350 and Boeing 777 can now cover maximum distances of over 11,000 miles (17,770 km), and a new variant of the A350 is due to enter service in 2027 that will stretch the range limits of commercial jets even further.
The world's longest route is Singapore Airlines Flight SQ23/SQ24, which runs daily between Singapore Changi (SIN) and New York JFK (JFK). It has a typical flight time of almost 19 hours at a great-circle distance of 9,537 miles (15,349 km), although the flight's routing means it actually covers around 15% more distance. This route was launched in late 2020 and narrowly surpassed the then-longest route in the world between Singapore Changi and Newark Liberty (EWR), also flown by Singapore Airlines.
Singapore To New York: Almost 9,500 Miles
The first A350-900ULR (Ultra Long Range), which has an extended range of up to 9,700 nautical miles, was delivered to launch customer Singapore Airlines in September 2018-1
Photo: Airbus
In November 2020, Singapore Airlines set a new record for the longest commercial air route with the launch of its Singapore-New York JFK service onboard its special fleet of Airbus A350-900ULR (Ultra Long Range) widebodies. Equipped only with business or premium economy seats, these planes are among the most premium-dense in the world, with a capacity for just 161 passengers.
At the time, Singapore was already flying to nearby Newark Airport, a service it began with its Airbus A340-500s back in 2004. While the carrier discontinued the pairing in 2013, it relaunched in 2018 with its new A350-900ULR fleet. This route measures 9,534 miles (15,344 km), which is just three miles shorter than SIN-JFK.
While it may soon be eclipsed by Qantas and its proposed Sydney-London direct pairing, SIN-JFK is closing in on five years as the world's longest route. And, given the routing used, the actual flight ends up covering a lot more ground distance, pushing it well into the 10,000-mile (16,000 km) range.
So Long That Passengers Arrive Two Days Later
Airbus A350 900ULR
Photo: Airbus
The outbound leg to New York has a block time of 18 hours and 40 minutes, but will have passengers in New York on the same day due to the time zone difference. On the contrary, those flying from New York back to Singapore will arrive two days later: for example, if departing JFK at 22:15 on a Friday night, they don't get into Singapore Changi until 05:30 on Sunday morning.
This return leg also has a longer block time due to it flying west, meaning passengers often spend close to 20 hours on the aircraft from boarding to disembarkation.
Flight Number Route Departure Time Arrival Time Block Time
SQ23 New York JFK (JFK) to Singapore Changi (SIN) 22:15 05:30 (+2 days) 19 hours
SQ24 Singapore Changi (SIN) to New York JFK (JFK) 12:10 18:50 (same day) 18 hours 40 minutes
The leg from New York to Singapore is famed for giving its passengers the chance of seeing two sunrises from the same flight. Landing in Singapore at 05:30, it is also perfect for business travelers, who arrive just in time for the workday to begin. Given its all-premium seating, the route is especially popular with business travelers.
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The Asian carrier is known for operating the longest scheduled passenger flights in the world.
What's It Like Flying Between Singapore And New York?
singapore airlines business class
Photo: Sorbis | Shutterstock
Singapore Airlines uses its all-premium Airbus A350-900ULR subfleet to serve this route. This configuration offers 67 business seats and 94 in premium economy, accommodating up to 161 passengers overall. Due to the extremely long flight time of 18-19 hours, sitting in economy can be quite an ordeal, so passengers are willing to pay extra for an enhanced onboard experience.
The business cabin is split across two sections and takes up about two-thirds of the plane. With a smaller nose section of five rows, it is followed by the main cabin, which has 11 rows. The cabin is in a 1-2-1 configuration and features lie-flat seats with a huge width of 28" and pitch of 60". Each passenger can watch the airline's in-flight entertainment (IFE) with 18" touchscreens in the seatback.
The premium economy seats are also a big step-up from any long-haul economy product. With a seat pitch of 38" and a generous width of 19", the seats also recline further (up to 8") and feature 13.3" touchscreens for entertainment as well as AC and USB-A charging points. Due to the flight's length, passengers can enjoy three meal services and get automatic access to the carrier's 'Book The Cook' service, which lets premium passengers pre-order a wider range of meals before the flight.
Rival Ultra-Long-Haul Routes
Qatar Airways Boeing 777-200LR at DFW
Photo: Austin Deppe | Shutterstock
According to data from aviation analytics firm Cirium, there are only three scheduled routes measuring over 9,000 miles (14,484 km), and two of them are flown by Singapore Airlines. Following SIN-JFK, the second-longest is Singapore-Newark, a route we briefly covered already. This was flown between 2004 and 2013 with SIA's long-range A340-500 fleet before the route was scrapped due to being unprofitable; however, with the arrival of its A350-900ULR, Singapore Airlines relaunched this pairing in 2018 and flies it daily.
The third-longest nonstop route in the world is Doha-Auckland, flown by Qatar Airways with its Boeing 777-200LR fleet. The 777-200LR is one of the longest-range aircraft ever built, with a maximum range of around 10,800 miles (17,380 km), putting it just behind the A350-900ULR in its reach.
Airline Route Distance Aircraft Type Frequency Seats (each way)
Singapore Airlines New York JFK (JFK) to Singapore Changi (SIN) 9,537 miles (15,349 km) A350-900ULR Daily 1,127
Singapore Airlines Newark Liberty (EWR) to Singapore Changi (SIN) 9,534 miles (15,344 km) A350-900ULR Daily 1,127
Qatar Airways Auckland (AKL) to Doha Hamad (DOH) 9,011 miles (14,500 km) B777-200LR Daily 1,904
An honorable mention can also go to Australian carrier Qantas, which has a route some sources put into the 9,000-mile category. The pairing in question is Perth-London, and in terms of ground distance covered, definitely exceeds 9,000 miles. This flight was launched in early 2018 using the airline's new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners, the first of which was delivered just a few months prior.
Specially-Built: About Singapore's A350-900ULR Subfleet
A350-900ULR Singapore Airlines
Photo: Airbus
In 2015, Singapore Airlines announced an agreement with Airbus for up to 67 A350-900 jets, of which seven were to be a special variant with enhanced range. This was to allow the airline to operate ultra-long-haul connections from its Singapore Changi hub, particularly to the United States.
The A350-900ULR boasts an additional 24,000 liters of fuel capacity compared to the standard A350-900, enabling it to fly over 2,000 km longer. Without using any additional tanks, Airbus modified the aircraft's fuel system instead to carry over 15% more fuel.
Specification A350-900 A350-900ULR A350-1000
Maximum Range 9,800 mi (15,750 km) 11,200 mi (17,964 km) 10,400 mi (16,700 km)
Fuel Capacity 141,000 liters 165,000 liters 158,000 liters
Maximum Takeoff Weight 283 tonnes 280 tonnes 322 tonnes
Singapore Airlines is the only operator and customer of the A350-900ULR, although there is an ultra-long-range version of the A350-1000 due to enter service soon. This will be under Australia's Qantas and, as mentioned previously, will enable the carrier to break Singapore Airlines' longest-route record when it launches direct service between Sydney and London.
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The carrier operates these aircraft with only premium seating.
The World's Largest A350 Operators
Singapore Airlines Airbus A350-900
Photo: Kittikum Yoksap | Shutterstock
Singapore Airlines has the world's largest fleet of A350 aircraft with a total of 65 airframes, putting it narrowly ahead of Qatar Airways. Alongside its seven -900ULR jets, Singapore flies 58 standard A350-900s, making the A350 its most numerous type and forming over 40% of its total fleet. SIA's cargo division also has seven A350 freighters on order, so the airline will eventually have 72 A350s under its wing.
When including its all-premium A350-900ULRs, the airline maintains three different cabin configurations across its A350 fleet. The most numerous type is its long-haul A350 configuration, with 34 total aircraft. This layout offers three cabin classes and approximately half the plane dedicated to premium space. The other is its highest capacity configuration accomodating up to 303 passengers, with 40 in business and 263 in economy.
Variant Cabin Configuration Aircraft in Fleet
A350-900ULR 67 Business, 94 Premium Economy 7
A350-900 (Long-Haul) 42 Business, 24 Premium Economy, 187 Economy 34
A350-900 (Medium-Haul) 40 Business, 263 Economy 24
Singapore Airlines doesn't fly the larger A350-1000 variant. The largest fleet of the -1000 is owned by Qatar Airways, which flies 24 of the stretched variant and 34 of the A350-900. As it stands, no airline is due to catch Singapore Airlines in terms of its overall A350 fleet size, although Delta Air Lines could get close if it chooses to further expand its growing A350 fleet.