The world's longest commercial flight set for take-off; this is the airliner

Airlines including Singapore Airlines, Australia`s Qantas Airways Ltd and U.S.-based United Continental Holdings Inc are adding ultra-long haul flights that can capture an airfare premium of around 20 percent versus flights involving one or more stops, according to a report by Reuters.

The inaugural flight to Newark Liberty International Airport would take off on October 11 from the Changi airport in Singapore. The current record holder is Qatar Airways Flight 921 from Auckland to Doha, covering a distance of 14,200 kilometres in 17 hours and 15 minutes.

The Singapore-Newark flight marks the return of a popular route for Singapore Airlines. Until the high fuel prices made the use of four-engine Airbus SE A340-500 jets uneconomic, this carrier had flown the marathon flights until 2013. It has since flown to New York`s JFK Airport via Frankfurt.

Singapore Airlines is Airbus` first and to date only customer for the A350-900ULR, an ultra-long range version of the fuel-efficient twin-engine A350 jet. 

In order to allow it to fly non-stop from Sydney to London from 2022, an even longer 9,200 nautical mile journey, Qantas has said it is considering the purchase of the A350-900ULR or Boeing Co`s 777X.

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On Wednesday Singapore Airlines said that it also plans to introduce non-stop flights from Singapore to Los Angeles with the A350-900ULR at a later date. The airline also expects to receive its first A350-900ULR in September, with all seven on order due by the end of the year.