The first of Singapore Airlines’ seven Airbus A350-900ULR (ultra long range) aircraft has rolled out of the Airbus paint shop ahead of its expected delivery to the carrier this September.
The Singaporean airline is set to be the launch customer for the aircraft, which is an extended-range variant of Airbus’ current A350-900 model. The ultra-long-range aircraft is capable of flying up to 9,700 nautical miles for a duration of more than 20 hours.
The aircraft notably will allow Singapore Airlines to launch a number of non-stop routes to the US, including what will be the world’s longest commercial flight between Singapore and New York (Newark) on October 11 this year. The A350-900ULR will also be used on the airline’s upcoming non-stop flights between Singapore and Los Angeles in November.
Aside from its extended range, the most notable thing about Singapore Airlines’ soon-to-be newest addition to its fleet is that its 161 seats will be offered in just two classes – business and premium economy.
Fans of Singapore Airlines’ current A350-900 business class seat products will be pleased to know that the A350-900ULR will feature the exact same seat with 67 in total.
Business Traveller reviewed the new seat product on its debut A380 flight from Singapore to Sydney back in December.
Premium economy, meanwhile, will feature the same product as is currently offered on both the A350-900 and the new A380s and will offer a total of 94 seats.
Reviews of the airline’s premium economy offering on both of these aircraft can be read below.
- Flight review: Singapore Airlines A380 premium economy class
- Flight review: Singapore Airlines A350-900 premium economy class
Singapore Airlines is among the largest operators of the A350, with 21 A350-900s already in its fleet. To date, the carrier has ordered a total of 67 A350-900s, including the seven ultra long range variants.
Meanwhile, regional rival Cathay Pacific took delivery of its first A350-1000 aircraft in June – the second airline to fly the aircraft after launch customer Qatar Airways.
The A350-1000 is a longer variant of the A350-900, offering a higher capacity than its predecessor. Cathay Pacific is set to debut the aircraft on its upcoming Hong Kong-Washington DC route this September.
Business Traveller was on the delivery flight of Cathay Pacific’s first A350-1000 and will be on board Singapore Airlines’ inaugural Singapore-New York flight in October.
