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 9,534 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 re-start on November 9 between Singapore and New York.
There's just one difference -- the US airport will switch from Newark, NJ, to JFK. Which pushes the distance up to 9,536.5 miles.
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 travelers 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.
The crew will be wearing goggles, gloves, and masks, and passengers are required to wear masks while not eating and drinking.
Latest Stories
-
2 repair vessels dispatched for undersea cable repairs – says NCA’s latest update
16 mins -
Multimedia Group Limited’s Clinton Yeboah shortlisted for 2 International Sports Press Association Awards
20 mins -
High-value property sale gone wrong as Supreme Court rules against police officer
35 mins -
Yara Ghana donates 1,107 bags of fertilizers to women farmers, farmers with disabilities
59 mins -
Tinubu forms team to find solutions to ailing economy
1 hour -
Jacob Zuma barred from running in South Africa election
1 hour -
Western Cape Education wins national primary school track and field championships
1 hour -
Cyber Security Authority issues Public Alert over Easter and Eid al-Fitr season scams
2 hours -
Sandro Tonali charged by FA for alleged betting rules breaches after joining Newcastle
2 hours -
Scancom PLC holds 6th AGM, declares dividend of 17.5 pesewas per share
2 hours -
Former Deputy AG accuses Godfred Dame of unethical legal behaviour
2 hours -
John Kumah goes home on May 18
2 hours -
Tema General Hospital: If a baby died, it wasn’t because of ‘dumsor’ – GHS Accra Director
3 hours -
Afenyo-Markin fetes cast and crew of ‘the gods are not to blame’
3 hours -
‘Dumsor’ to hit parts of Accra and Tema today
3 hours