Singapore Airlines longest flight in the world business class review

A Singapore Airlines Airbus A350-900 ULR.Airbus

• Singapore Airlines relaunched the longest flight in the world on Thursday connecting Newark Liberty International Airport with its home base at Changi Airport in Singapore.
• Singapore previously operated the route until 2013. 
• The flight covers around 10,000 miles with a duration of up to 19 hours. 
• Singapore’s fleet of new Airbus A350-900ULR will be used to operate the route.
• The planes are equipped with only a business class and a premium economy cabin. 
• Business Insider had the chance to fly on the launch flight of SQ21 from Newark to Singapore. 

Singapore Airlines relaunched its non-stop service connecting Newark Liberty International Airport just outside of New York City with its home base at Changi Airport in Singapore on Thursday. At around 10,000 miles with a duration of up to 19 hours, it’s the longest flight in the world. 

Singapore Airlines Flight SQ22, a new Airbus A350-900ULR, took off from Changi Airport late Thursday evening local time. Nearly 18 hours later, the flight arrived in Newark at 5:30 am on Friday. Later that morning, Flight SQ21 would make the first non-stop return flight back to Singapore in half a decade. 

Flight SQ22 marked the first non-stop flight between the Lion City and the Big Apple since 2013 when Singapore Airlines or SIA pulled the plug on the service. At the time, Singapore used Airbus A340-500s on the route. While possessing exceptional range and capability, the A340-500 was a relic of the 1990s and the thirst of its four-engines proved to be too uneconomical to sustain. Even a shift to an all business class interior layout couldn’t generate enough income to save the route. So in 2013, the airline canceled the service and returned the A340-500 fleet to Airbus. 

Fast forward half a decade and things are quite different. Singapore is the proud owner of a fleet of new Airbus A350-900 ULR jets. ULR stands for ultra long range. The carbon composite A350 represents the latest in commercial aviation. Its pair of massive Rolls-Royce Trent XWB turbofan engines team up with the plane’s sleek wing design to deliver a 25% reduction in fuel consumption over the aircraft it replaced. In ULR spec, Airbus managed to fit an extra 6,300 gallons of fuel into the A350’s tanks which pushed the range up to more than 11,000 miles. 

Business Insider purchased a business class ticket on board the return flight from Newark to Singapore. 

Here’s how it went. 

And customs and baggage claim go smoothly at Changi Airport.

Benjamin Zhang/Business Insider

All in all, the longest flight in the world proved to be a breeze. The Singapore Airlines service was impeccable, the in-flight entertainment was good, the food was amazing while the seat was simply lovely. 

However, I do recognize that the ease of the flight is certainly helped along by being in business class. In a few days, I’ll be flying back to Newark on Flight SQ22. This time, I’ll be in premium economy. More to come.