Ultra-Long-Haul: Exploring Singapore Airlines' 5 Longest Routes

Singapore Airlines A350-900 (Source)

Singapore Airlines is renowned for operating some of the world's longest routes from its hub at Singapore Changi Airport (SIN). The airline has an extensive long-haul network covering Asia, Europe, and Oceania, and includes routes to Johannesburg (JNB) and Cape Town (CPT) in Africa. However, its longest routes are to the United States.

These ultra-long-haul flights are operated by Singapore Airlines' Airbus A350s. According to ch-aviation, the airline's fleet currently includes 64 A350s, of which 57 are A350-900s and seven are A350-900ULRs. The -ULR variant boasts an extended range of up to 11,163 miles (17,964 km) due to its premium-only cabin configuration, which reduces total passenger capacity to 161. Using data from August 2024 provided by Cirium, an aviation analytics company, here are Singapore Airlines' five longest routes:

5. Singapore (SIN) - Seattle (SEA)
8,068 miles (12,984 km)

SIN-SEA (Source)

This route was launched in September 2019, marking the first ever non-stop flight from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) to Southeast Asia. At the time, James Boyd, the airline's President of Public Relations, highlighted the route's strong corporate and leisure traffic, noting that it provides a faster and more efficient way to reach destinations like Perth. Currently, the route operates four times per week, offering a total of 4,554 seats in each direction in August 2024 (253 per flight).

4. Singapore (SIN) - San Francisco (SFO)
8,440 miles (13,582 km)

SIN-SFO (Source)

In August 2024, Singapore Airlines operates two daily flights between Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) and San Francisco International Airport (SFO), one of which is serviced by the premium-heavy Airbus A350-900ULR. Non-stop flights to San Francisco were launched in October 2016, previously operating via Hong Kong (HKG). United Airlines also operates this route, making it the only one on this list with competition from another airline.

3. Singapore (SIN) - Los Angeles (LAX)
8,758 miles (14,094 km)

SIN-LAX (Source)

Non-stop flights between Singapore and Los Angeles began in November 2018. In August 2024, Singapore Airlines will operate 44 non-stop flights in each direction. Additionally, the airline offers daily flights to Los Angeles via Tokyo Narita (NRT) with the Boeing 777-300ER. Despite the high frequency, this route did not make it into the top 3 busiest transpacific routes from LAX last year.

2. Singapore (SIN) - Newark (EWR)
9,484 miles (15,263 km)

SIN-EWR (Source)

Singapore Airlines launched its non-stop service to Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) in October 2004 with Airbus A340-500s, and relaunched the route in October 2018 using the A350-900ULR, featuring a premium cabin configuration. The service operates with a block time of 18:25 hours to Newark and 19:10 hours on the return leg to Singapore, extended due to ongoing Russian airspace restrictions.

1. Singapore (SIN) - New York (JFK)
9,487 miles (15,267 km)

SIN-JFK (Source)

The longest non-stop flight by Singapore Airlines and also the longest non-stop flight in the world. This route was introduced in November 2020, during the suspension of the Newark service due to the pandemic. Both services have been operational since 2022. The flights are operated by the Airbus A350-900ULR, with an alternative option of traveling via Frankfurt (FRA) on the A380, Singapore Airlines' only A380 route to the US.

Singapore Airlines operates two of the five longest flights in the world, which are both included in this list. The current top 5 longest flights are:

1. Singapore (SIN) - New York (JFK) Singapore Airlines

2. Singapore (SIN) - Newark (EWR) Singapore Airlines

3. Doha (DOH) - Auckland (AKL) Qatar Airways

4. Perth (PER) - London (LHR) Qantas

5. Melbourne (MEL) - Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) Qantas