Singapore Airlines Flights 21 and 22 (SQ21/SIA21 and SQ22/SIA22, respectively) are airline routes operated by Singapore Airlines between
Singapore Changi Airport
Singapore Changi Airport, commonly known as Changi Airport , is a major civilian international airport that serves Singapore, and is one of the largest transportation hubs in Asia. As one of the world's busiest airports by international passe ...
(SIN) and
Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR). They were the two
longest regularly scheduled
non-stop flight
A non-stop flight is a flight by an aircraft with no intermediate stops.
History
During the early age of aviation industry when aircraft range was limited, most flights were served in the form of milk run, aka there were many stops along ...
s in the world, until surpassed by
Singapore Airlines Flights 23 and 24 (SQ23 and SQ24) between Singapore and New York JFK airport in November 2020.
The flights were operated from 28 June 2004 to 23 November 2013,
using an
Airbus A340-500, and again from 11 October 2018
using an
Airbus A350-900ULR until operations were suspended on 25 March 2020 due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
. On 27 March 2022, Singapore Airlines resumed operations using an Airbus A350-900ULR.
The flights cover for SQ21 and for SQ22. For SQ21, flights flew over Atlantic Ocean, Europe and Asia but often some flights flew in the opposite direction of SQ22's path. For SQ22, flights flew over Pacific Ocean, Asia and United States.
Service
In June 2004, Singapore Airlines introduced Flight SQ21, using the
Airbus A340-500 on a record breaking
great circle route from
Newark to
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...
, passing within of the
North Pole
The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is the point in the Northern Hemisphere where the Earth's rotation, Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface. It is called the True North Pole to distingu ...
. Taking a little over 18 hours, Flight SQ21 was scheduled to take off from Newark at 23:00 EDT (11:00 SGT) and land in Singapore at 4:05 SGT (16:05 EDT).
This non-stop scheduled-commercial distance was immediately surpassed by return Flight SQ22, which flew a then-record back to Newark, on a route over Asia and
Alaska
Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S. ...
. Despite the greater distance, Flight SQ22 averaged a slightly shorter 17 hours 45 minutes due to assistance from prevailing high-altitude winds.
Flight
Original service (2004–2013)
The plane originally used for the Singapore–Newark route was an
Airbus A340-500. It had 14 cabin crew and six flight deck officers, each working four-hour shifts.
The flight required of fuel, ten times the weight of the passengers. Critics said that while there would be reduced noise pollution due to a stop not being required, the non-stop flight would save little fuel due to the need to use more energy at the beginning of the flight to power its heavy load.
The airline said that this route would save four hours off a one-stop service. However, medical experts expressed concerns regarding the 18-hour flight, in which passengers would breathe recycled air with a greater chance of picking up viral infections such as flu and colds on board. Furthermore, the heart and lungs would come under increased strain from a lower than usual supply of oxygen, with an enhanced risk of
deep vein thrombosis
Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a type of venous thrombosis involving the formation of a blood clot in a deep vein, most commonly in the legs or pelvis. A minority of DVTs occur in the arms. Symptoms can include pain, swelling, redness, and enla ...
(DVT) among people who fail to exercise frequently on board. The airline had installed special lockers on the aircraft to store the body of any passengers that died en route, since the flight's routing over the Pacific Ocean and the North Pole meant that there were few, if any, possible unscheduled stops.
Singapore Airlines originally offered 64
business class
Business class is a travel class available on many commercial airlines and rail lines, known by brand names which vary, by airline or rail company. In the airline industry, it was originally intended as an intermediate level of service between ...
and 117 Executive Economy Class seats on this flight. SIA phased out the Executive Economy Class in favor of 100-seat all-Business Class flights in 2008.
2013 suspension
In October 2012,
Singapore Airlines
Singapore Airlines ( abbreviation: SIA) is the flag carrier airline of the Republic of Singapore with its hub located at Singapore Changi Airport. The airline is notable for highlighting the Singapore Girl as its central figure in corporat ...
announced that it would discontinue non-stop service to both Newark and
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
in 2013. Revenue was no longer high enough to sustain the service and the routes were dropped in November 2013.
As part of a deal announced with
Airbus
Airbus SE (; ; ; ) is a European multinational aerospace corporation. Airbus designs, manufactures and sells civil and military aerospace products worldwide and manufactures aircraft throughout the world. The company has three divisions: ' ...
, the airline would sell back its five Airbus A340-500 aircraft to the aircraft manufacturer while ordering 5 extra
Airbus A380
The Airbus A380 is a large wide-body airliner that was developed and produced by Airbus. It is the world's largest passenger airliner and only full-length double-deck jet airliner.
Airbus studies started in 1988, and the project was annou ...
and another 20
Airbus A350 XWB
The Airbus A350 is a long-range, wide-body twin-engine jet airliner developed and produced by Airbus.
The first A350 design proposed by Airbus in 2004, in response to the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, would have been a development of the A330 ...
aircraft.
The airline continued serving Los Angeles via
Tokyo Narita
Narita International Airport ( ja, 成田国際空港, Narita Kokusai Kūkō) , also known as Tokyo-Narita, formerly and originally known as , is one of two international airports serving the Greater Tokyo Area, the other one being Haneda Airport ...
as it had during the period with the non-stop flights. It continued to serve the
New York metropolitan area
The New York metropolitan area, also commonly referred to as the Tri-State area, is the largest metropolitan area in the world by urban landmass, at , and one of the most populous urban agglomerations in the world. The vast metropolitan area ...
(in which Newark is located) via the nearby
John F. Kennedy International Airport
John F. Kennedy International Airport (colloquially referred to as JFK Airport, Kennedy Airport, New York-JFK, or simply JFK) is the main international airport serving New York City. The airport is the busiest of the seven airports in the Avia ...
, with a stop at
Frankfurt Airport
Frankfurt Airport (; german: link=no, Flughafen Frankfurt Main , also known as ''Rhein-Main-Flughafen'') is a major international airport located in Frankfurt, the fifth-largest city of Germany and one of the world's leading financial centres ...
.
Relaunch (2018–2020)
![9V-SGF@PEK (20220203171924)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3e/9V-SGF%40PEK_%2820220203171924%29.jpg)
On 13 October 2015, Singapore Airlines announced that it had signed an agreement with
Airbus
Airbus SE (; ; ; ) is a European multinational aerospace corporation. Airbus designs, manufactures and sells civil and military aerospace products worldwide and manufactures aircraft throughout the world. The company has three divisions: ' ...
to be the launch customer of a new version of the Airbus A350 called the
A350-900ULR
The Airbus A350 is a long-range, wide-body twin-engine jet airliner developed and produced by Airbus.
The first A350 design proposed by Airbus in 2004, in response to the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, would have been a development of the A330 w ...
(stands for "Ultra Long Range"), which according to the announcement would feature "all-new cabin products which are currently under development."
On 30 May 2018, Singapore Airlines announced the relaunch of the service starting 11 October 2018 (Singapore departure), with daily service commencing 18 October 2018. The flights use the Airbus A350-900ULR, a modified version of the standard Airbus A350-900, with fuel capacity increased from , and with a maximum range of . The A350-900ULR is expected to consume 25% less fuel versus the A340-500. There are 161 seats, comprising 67 business and 94 premium economy seats. There are no economy seats.
The re-launched flight to Newark operates as a
red-eye flight
In commercial aviation, a red-eye flight is a flight scheduled to depart at night and arrive the next morning. Another definition of a red-eye flight is one that takes place overnight but does not provide enough time for passengers to get a full n ...
, with a morning departure from Singapore. The airline finally received the aircraft on 26 September and relaunched the flight on 11 October 2018. These flights are typically staffed with four
pilots and 13
flight attendants.
COVID-19 suspension (2020) and resumption (2022)
On 25 March 2020, due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
, SQ21/SQ22 operations were suspended and subsequently cancelled/de-scheduled.
In November 2020, in an effort to increase cargo throughput, Singapore Airlines launched the even longer non-stop flights SQ23/SIA23 and SQ24/SIA24 using an
Airbus A350-900 to nearby
New York—JFK that covered .
On 27 March 2022, Singapore Airlines relaunched SQ21/SQ22 using an Airbus A350-900ULR in a mixed business and premium economy cabin.
References
{{Authority control
Singapore Airlines
Commercial flights
Changi Airport
Newark Liberty International Airport