Come October, another first will be added to world aviation as Singapore Airlines launches the world’s longest commercial flight on its Singapore-New York route. Starting October 11, the flight, covering a distance of 16,800 km between Changi airport in Singapore and Newark International Airport in New York, will reach its destination in 18 hours and 45 minutes.

This three-times-a week service will become a daily service a week later as Singapore Airline gets its A350-900 ULR aircraft. Singapore Airlines is the world’s first customer for this aircraft with seven on firm order with Airbus.

Another unique feature of the flight is that it will have only business and premium economy classes and no economy class seating. When asked whether the launch of the flight is recognition of the fact that such a long flight cannot be done in economy, David Lim, Manager India, Singapore Airlines, vehemently disagreed.

“The two-class configuration is more because of business considerations. We want to configure our aircraft to meet market demand. The longer the flight, the more demand from customers to have more comfort. So we feel that 94 premium economy and 67 business class seats work best for us,” Lim told BusinessLine .

He added that the airline is not new to operating ultra-long flights. “We regard the comfort and well-being of the customer as the topmost priority. That is why we launched this ultra long-range A350 flight. I am sure we will progressively tell you about the enhancements that we have made on this aircraft,” he said.

Singapore Airlines operated on the Singapore-New York sector till 2013 but it withdrew the flight because of various reasons, among which were skyrocketing global oil prices. The airline was then operating an Airbus A340, which has four engines and is heavier. This did not work in the high-fuel environment prevalent then, Lim pointed out.

Now the airline is operating an A350 aircraft, which is much lighter. Singapore Airlines has 21 such aircraft that are being used to fly short distances, including linking Singapore to Mumbai. The same aircraft is also being used to fly from Singapore to San Francisco with a three-class configuration — business, premium economy and economy classes.

The airline believes that the flight will be popular with Indians who have business in both Singapore and New York. Besides, as Lim points out, Indians love travelling, so they will also want to try out this record-breaking new flight. The one-way premium economy fare on the new non-stop flight from India to New York on Singapore Airlines will range between ₹60,000 and ₹1,20,000.

Keep walking while flying

While there is no question about the safety of the operations of Singapore’s longest flight, doctors caution flyers to be careful on ultra long-haul flights such as the one that SIA will launch on October 11. Dr Rajesh Chawla, Senior Consultant, Respiratory, Critical Care and Sleep, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, says that flyers on such long-haul flights could suffer from deep vein thrombosis (DVT), which is basically clotting in the deep veins of the legs.

“This (DVT) is the biggest risk. That is why, on all these long flights, they advise that people should walk. The other is sleep disorder. Flyers will not know when to sleep and may become very tired. Every three to four hours, if a passenger is not sleeping, then he should walk. At least take one or two laps of the aircraft. Take an aisle seat so that you can walk around easily,” Dr Chawla advises.

Besides, flyers should avoid consuming alcohol on such flights as alcohol tends to dehydrate the body. “Passengers should also ensure that they drink plenty of fluids,” Dr Chawla says.

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