Singapore to New York: The world's longest flight will restart in November

The world's longest flight is returning to the skies, which time it will fly even further.

Singapore Airlines has announced the resumption of flights from its home base at Changi Airport to NY. Previously, the airline operated from Singapore to Newark Liberty AIRPORT TERMINAL in NJ. Now, it's set to fly into John F Kennedy AIRPORT TERMINAL - a move that adds 33 kilometers and ten minutes of airtime on to that which was already the world's longest commercial flight.

Flights will resume on Monday, November 9, operated via an Airbus A350-900 long-range aircraft. Singapore to New York route, which will operate three times weekly, clocks in at 18 hours and five minutes of flight time.

The reverse, that may first depart JFK airport on Wednesday, November 11, is longer, with a flight time of 18 hours and 40 minutes.

“Operating these flights between Singapore and New York’s JFK AIRPORT TERMINAL represents an important part of the rebuilding of our global network. Non-stop ultra-long services will be the bedrock of our services to the main element US market," said Lee Lik Hsin, executive vice president of commercial for Singapore Airlines.

Where will the passengers result from?

Flights could have Business, Premium Economy, and Economy class cabins, but until travel restrictions ease it's unclear how many passengers will be booking a ticket on the world's longest service.

Currently, Singapore is merely open for citizens, transit passengers, and those with special permission. Short-term visitors from any country aren't allowed entry. And in New York, any travelers who are approved to fly to the united states must quarantine for 14 days if coming from a destination where the pandemic reaches Level two or three 3.

The service is likely to excel in terms of cargo operations. That's since it will be the only non-stop air cargo link from the northern US to Singapore. The airline says it expects "significant cargo demand from a variety of industries located in the New York metro area, including pharmaceuticals, e-commerce and technology firms".

The airline at first canceled its Singapore to New York service in March within its decision to ground nearly 138 aircraft, out of a total fleet of 147, due to the global pandemic.

Australian airline Qantas had been planning to take the title for the world's longest flight from Singapore Airlines in 2023. This past year, within Project Sunrise, Qantas flew test research flights from Australia to New York and London with journey times of just under 20 hours apiece. Since then, the airline has postponed the project indefinitely as a result of the pandemic.