Page 5 - AAA NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 2018 Online Magazine

DAWN OF

A NEW ERA

Ultra Long-Haul flights are
delivering on their promise

Geoffrey Thomas

t was a night, a day and another night to remember as Singapore utes as “no big deal”. Key to its success is
Airlines flights SQ22 effortlessly flew from Singapore to New the Airbus A350-900 ULR, the all-composite
York nonstop on October 11, heralding a new era in aviation. twin-engine ultra-long-range jet that burns

INonstops have always ruled but are now entering the era of about 35 per cent less fuel than the A340-
the ultra-long-range nonstops in kind-to-the-body — and to the 500, the aircraft it directly replaces on the
bottom line — airliners that are a quantum leap over previous route. The numbers cannot help but impress.
designs. And even greater performance is around the corner Compared with the A340-500, which the air-
with Boeing set to roll out its new Boeing 777X in January that line used on the route between 2004 and
promises to fly nonstop from New York to Sydney. 2013, the A350-900ULR can carry 14 per
cent more passengers while being 15 per
While most will reel at the thought of being crammed into an cent lighter and its take-off weight — thanks
aluminum tube for 19 to 20 hours, the new planes are nothing to less fuel required — is 26 per cent less!
like existing designs when it comes to passenger comfort. The But away from the numbers for passengers,
Airbus A350, Boeing 787 and Boeing 777X are a breed of flying the A350 really is a “great way to fly”.
machine that are either constructed of carbon fibre or have the
same passenger features of lower cabin altitude and higher The pilots of the inaugural flight on October
humidity. Add to that much lower engine noise and state-of-the- 11 eased the throttles forward at 11.59pm and
art air-conditioning systems and you have a real magic carpet. just 43 seconds later the A350 was airborne
for the epic 16,627km (8978nm) journey. Not
Singapore Airlines Leaps Ahead long after take-off on the world’s longest flight,
Singapore Airlines’ relaunch of the Singapore to New York non- a marathon of food and wine started. But this
stop, the world’s longest flight, was an outstanding success by was a bit different, being influenced by the
any measure and passengers dusted off the 17 hours 52 min- partnership with the chefs and nutritionists

ASIAN AIRLINES & AEROSPACE November/December 2018 | 5