The world's longest flight is back, and now it's even longer

LIFESTYLE

The world's longest flight is back, and now it's even longer

Julia Buckley

CNN Digital

Published Tuesday, October 20, 2020 1:42PM EDT

Singapore Airlines' Newark to Singapore route is the longest passenger flight in the world. (Roslan Rahman/AFP/AFP/Getty Images)

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At a mammoth 18 hours, it was the world's longest scheduled passenger flight, seen as a feat of endurance for those who dared book it.

But Singapore Airlines' Singapore-Newark flight, which covered a staggering 15,343.5 miles, was an early victim of the COVID-19 pandemic, being put on hold on March 23.

Now, however, it's ready to take off again, with flights scheduled to restart on Nov. 9 between Singapore and New York.

There's just one difference -- the U.S. airport will switch from Newark, N.J., to JFK. Which pushes the distance up to 15,347.5 miles.

NO VACATIONS YET

The airport switch will allow the airline to "better accommodate a mix of passenger and cargo... in the current operating climate," Singapore Airlines announced in a statement.

While passenger numbers are down, the airline "anticipates significant cargo demand", including "pharmaceuticals, e-commerce and technology firms."

It's uncertain how many regular passengers will be booking. Visitors are not currently allowed to enter Singapore, other than permanent residents, visa holders, or travellers from countries which qualify for an "Air Travel Pass" (Australia, Brunei Darussalam, New Zealand and Vietnam). Some provinces of China, plus Malaysia, Japan and the Republic of Korea may travel for work, if sponsored by a Singaporean company.

The flight will run three times a week, using an Airbus A350-900 with 187 economy seats, plus 24 premium economy and 42 business class.

A SLOW RECOVERY

Singapore Airlines has continued its nonstop flights from Changi airport to Los Angeles throughout the pandemic. The airline promised to "continue to review its operations to the United States, and assess the growing demand for air travel amid the ongoing recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, before decided to reinstate services to other points in the country."

Flights from Singapore to JFK will take 18 hours and 5 minutes, while JFK to Singapore will take 18 hours and 40 minutes, due to the headwind. On that route, passengers will also arrive two days after they departed, thanks to the 10:30 p.m. start and 6:10 a.m. arrival time.

Crew will be wearing goggles, gloves and masks, and passengers are required to wear masks while not eating and drinking.