You could binge-watch all six Lord of the Rings films as well as The Hobbit trilogy – and still have time to take a nap on this epic non-stop flight
Make sure to bring your headphones if you’re planning on a mammoth journey across the globe. While those four-hour Ryanair trips over to Tenerife can sometimes feel like they’re dragging, nothing quite competes with this beast of a route.
Starting in Singapore and jetting some 9,537 miles over to New York, the world’s longest commercial non-stop journey takes a gruelling 18 hours and 10 minutes. To put that into perspective, you could binge-watch all six Lord of the Rings films (a whopping 9.5 hours) as well as The Hobbit trilogy (almost eight hours) and still fit in a half-hour nap before touching down in the US.
Operated by Singapore Airlines, the flight takes off on a daily basis and is classed as a ‘ultra-long range’ journey due to it taking more than 16 hours. In 2023, there were only 3,000 scheduled flights that fell under that category.
According to experts over at AFAR, Singapore Airlines uses an Airbus A350-900ULR, which is configured with 67 pod-style business-class seats and 94 premium economy seats. That right, you can’t get regular economy seats on this jet, even if you’re willing to have no legroom for almost a full day.
Naturally, getting a ticket on this plane doesn’t come cheap – but it might not be as ludicrously expensive as you may first think. A one-way fare departing tomorrow (7 February) would set you back SGD 1,635.70 (around £972) while a cheeky upgrade to business class would cost an eye-watering SGD 14,626.30 (£8,708). Booking in advance and flying on May 7, for example, is currently coming up at £673 for a one-way fare in Premium Economy. Unlike Ryanair, this does include two pieces of 23kg luggage and a complimentary seat selection.
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However, Singapore Airlines is slated to lose its reigning title thanks to Qantas. The Australian airline aims to revolutionise the country’s travel industry with its ‘Project Sunrise’ – which will see non-stop flights take off from Sydney to London and New York. It has chosen the Airbus A350-1000 as its preferred aircraft, and plans to start routes in mid-2026. Travellers on board will be in for a whooping 10,573 and 9,950 miles respectively – while those on the London leg will be in the air for 20 hours, meaning they’ll see the sun rise twice on the same journey (if they haven’t dozed off).
Unlike Singapore Airlines, an economy section will be featured on the aircraft. A wellbeing zone will also be accessible, allowing passengers to stretch their legs when the seatbelt sign isn’t on.
Could you hack a 20-hour flight? Let us know in the comments section below
