(FILES) In this file photo taken on June 28, 2013 a Singapore Airlines (SIA) Boeing 777-312 is towed out of Changi International airport for departure in Singapore. – Singapore Airlines on October 11, 2018 will relaunch the world’s longest flight from the city-state to New York that will last nearly 19 hours. (Photo by Roslan RAHMAN / AFP)
(FILES) In this file photo taken on June 28, 2013 a Singapore Airlines (SIA) Boeing 777-312 is towed out of Changi International airport for departure in Singapore. – Singapore Airlines on October 11, 2018 will relaunch the world’s longest flight from the city-state to New York that will last nearly 19 hours. (Photo by Roslan RAHMAN / AFP)
The journey covers a distance of 16,700 kilometres (10,400 miles) in just under 19 hours, making it the lengthiest in both distance and time.
There is no economy class. The cabin is configured in only two segments: 67 business class seats and 94 premium economy seats.
The route uses the fuel-efficient ultra-long range variant of Airbus’ A350-900, a category of plane that airlines are increasingly turning to as they look to squeeze more miles out of every drop of pricey fuel.
Qatar Airways Flight 921, using a Boeing 777, held the previous title as world’s longest commercial route, flying passengers over 14,500 kilometres from the New Zealand capital to Doha.
United’s 787 Dreamliners fly 13,800 kilometres to connect Australia’s biggest city with Houston in the southern US.
Auckland has a second link to a Middle Eastern hub through Emirates Flight 449, which flies Airbus A380 superjumbos to Dubai at a distance of 14,200 kilometres.
United launched its service connecting Los Angeles’ LAX airport to Singapore using a 787 last year.
At the time the 14,100-kilometre link was the longest non-stop flight by distance from the US to anywhere in the world, the airline said.
The 14,500-kilometre Qantas service launched this year is the first regular link between Australia and Europe, with the airline’s Boeing 787 fleet connecting Perth and London.
The Perth route is part of an ambitious plan by Qantas to eventually connect Europe with airports on Australia’s eastern seaboard as new, more efficient aircraft become available.
Chief executive Alan Joyce told media last year that a non-stop, 17,000-kilometre service from Sydney to London could be on the cards as soon as 2022 — but only if oil prices stay low enough to provide a decent return on the route.