Singapore Airlines is set to resume non stop services between Singapore and the U.S. The new services is set to begin in 2018, following a 5 year break from operating the service. The service will be operated by an Ultra Long Range variant of the A350-900 aircraft, an aircraft for which Singapore Airlines will be the launch customer.
As a launch customer of the A350-900ULR, Singapore Airlines announced that it was upgrading seven aircraft that it had as a firm order for A350-900 aircraft to the upgraded model. In addition, it was converting 4 options on the A350-900 to firm orders. This leaves it with an firm orders for 67 A350-900, of which 7 will be the ULR variant.
Singapore previously operated non stop services between Singapore and the US cities of Los Angeles and New York with A340 aircraft. These aircraft were retired from service in 2013, and with no viable alternative available, Singapore Airlines withdrew the non-stop service.
When travelling to the US on Singapore Airlines services, there are currently stops at various mid-point cities. These include Hong Kong, Seoul, and Tokyo if flying to Los Angeles or San Francisco. If flying to New York, you travel the other way around the globe, stopping in Frankfurt on the way there or back.
Sinagpore Airlines CEO, Goh Choon Phong, sommented “Our customers have been asking us to re-start non-stop Singapore-US flights and we are pleased that Airbus was able to offer the right aircraft to do so in a commercially viable manner.”
