The flag carrier airline of Singapore announced that it will re-launch its world’s longest nonstop flight to New York next month, this time flying to New York City’s John F Kennedy Airport rather than nearby New Jersey Newark Liberty International Airport.
The thrice-weekly non-stop flights from Changi Airport will start from November 9 using the Airbus A350-900. Flights back to Changi Airport will start two days later on November 11, Singapore Airlines (SIA) said. At a scheduled 18 hours, 40 minutes, this will be the world’s longest non-stop flight.
The national carrier suspended its nonstop service to Newark in March as COVID-19 battered travel demand. Newark is about 15km from New York City, but is in the state of New Jersey.
SIA said that the flights would allow the airline to better accommodate a mix of passenger and cargo traffic “in the current operating climate”. It added that the non-stop services would also be supported by the growing number of passengers who are now able to transit at Changi Airport.
SIA said it anticipates “significant cargo demand” from a range of industries based in the New York metro area such as pharmaceuticals, e-commerce and technology firms.
“The new service will provide the only non-stop air cargo link from the US Northeast to Singapore, which serves as a regional distribution hub for many major US-based companies,” SIA said.
The resumption of flights to New York sees SIA operating two nonstop services to the US – the other being Los Angeles. The airline will continue to review its operations to the United States and assess the growing demand for air travel amid the ongoing recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic “before deciding to reinstate services to other points in the country”.
The SIA Group said last week it had suffered a 98.1% year on year decline in passenger carriage in September, even as Singapore opened its borders to more places.
The airline said it will address COVID-19 safety fears on board by offering enhanced cleaning schedules, air filtration systems and face mask requirements.
– eTurboNews | Trends | Travel News Online
