World’s first Airbus A350-900ULR delivered to SIA

Singapore Airlines has taken delivery of the world’s first Airbus A350-900ULR (ultra-long-range) aircraft, dressed up in SIA livery. The SIA airliner 9V-SGA, is due to go into service on 11th October 2018 on the world’s longest commercial flight between Singapore and Newark Liberty International Airport. This is the first of seven A350-900ULRs Singapore Airlines on firm order with Airbus. SIA are the launch customer for the new A350 variant.

Aircraft specifications

• The new A350-900ULR is capable of flying up to 9,700 nautical miles (nm), or over 20 hours non-stop.
• The flight to New York will cover a distance of approximately 9,000nm (16,700km)
• Travelling time is up to 18 hours 45 minutes.
• Configuration is a two-class layout
  • 67 Business Class seats
  • 94 Premium Economy Class seats.
• Improved comfort in the travelling experience
  • higher ceilings
  • larger windows
  • an extra wide body
  • quieter cabins
  • lighting designed to reduce jetlag

The carbon composite airframe allows for improved air quality by using more optimised cabin altitude and humidity levels.

Singapore Airlines CEO, Goh Choon Phong sees the delivery as a proud moment for both Singapore Airlines and Airbus. He believes the strengthened partnership pushes extended long-range flying to new limits with this highly advanced new aircraft.

He added:

….. 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.  Goh Choon Phong

His comments were echoed by Airbus CEO Tom Enders, who added:

…. Today’s delivery is a milestone for Airbus and Singapore Airlines, as together we open a new chapter in non-stop air travel. With its unrivalled range and step-change in fuel efficiency, the A350 is uniquely placed to meet demand for new ultra long haul services.

The routes on offer

The first two A350-900ULRs will be used for the launch of Singapore-New York services. Subsequent aircraft are booked for Singapore-Los Angeles services commencing on 2nd November 2018 and increased frequency on the existing Singapore-San Francisco route. By the end of 2018, SIA will link Singapore and the United States with 27 weekly non-stop flights.

With the delivery of the first A350-900ULR, Singapore Airlines now has 22 A350-900 aircraft in its fleet. The airline has 45 more on order including the six additional ULR variants. Singapore Airlines currently operates 40 flights per week to the US cities of Houston, New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. With the new ULR flights, total US flight frequency will increase to 53 per week by December2018.