Airlines Singapore Airlines takes delivery of the first Airbus A350-900ULR

The latest variant of the Airbus A350 is able to fly over 20 hours non-stop with a maximum range of up to 9700 nautical miles.

Altogether, SIA has ordered seven A350-900ULR aircraft, configured in a two-class layout, with 67 Business Class seats and 94 Premium Economy Class seats.

SIA will begin operating the A350-900ULR on 11th October, when it will launch non-stop services between Singapore and New York. With an average flying time of 18 hours and 45 minutes, these will be the world’s longest commercial flights. Following New York, the aircraft will enter service with SIA on two more non-stop transpacific routes, to Los Angeles and San Francisco.

“This is a proud moment for both Singapore Airlines and Airbus, not only because we have again strengthened our partnership, but also because we have pushed the limits with this highly advanced new aircraft to extend long-range flying to new lengths,” said Singapore Airlines CEO, Mr Goh Choon Phong. “The A350-900ULR will bring more convenience and comfort to our customers and will enable us to operate ultra-long-range flights in a commercially viable manner. It will help us boost our network competitiveness and further grow the Singapore hub.”

The A350-900ULR is a development of the A350-900. The main change over the standard aircraft is a modified fuel system, enabling the fuel carrying capacity to be increased by 24,000 litres to 165,000 litres. This extends the range of the aircraft without the need for additional fuel tanks. In addition, the aircraft features a number of aerodynamic enhancements, including extended winglets, which are now being applied to all in-production A350-900 aircraft.

It will be the second time, Singapore Airlines operates flights between New York and Singapore: From 2004 to 2013, the airline offered a daily flight with one of its Airbus A340-500. Due to the high fuel-consumption of the four-engine aircraft, the carrier discontinued the direct flights and focused on its stop-over flights to New York JFK Airport via Frankfurt/Main.