Singapore Airlines has flown into
the commercial flight distance record books for the second time this year,
with an A340-500 successfully inaugurating the carrier’s latest non-stop
round-trip commercial air service between Singapore and New York (Newark
Airport). The A340-500 departed at 12:25 Singapore local time on June 28th
and completed the 16,600 km / 9,000 nautical mile sector to New York in 18
hours 18 minutes. The airline beat its own previous distance record for
non-stop round-trip commercial service, when it introduced the A340-500 on
the route between Singapore and Los Angeles on February 3rd of this year.
On that occasion, the A340-500 completed the 14,093 km / 7,609 nm sector
to Los Angeles in 14 hours 42 minutes. Singapore Airlines’ fleet of five A340-500s is configured with 64 enhanced
Raffles Business Class and 117 Executive Economy Class seats. The cabins
for both classes feature special areas and amenities for passengers to
stretch their legs, socialize and relax on ultra-long-haul service.

With four Rolls-Royce Trent 500 engines for the best economy on ultra-
long-haul flights, the A340-500 enjoys unmatched operational flexibility
on non-stop flights over remote areas—such as oceans, mountain ranges
and polar regions.

“I am delighted to congratulate Singapore Airlines on successfully
completing its latest A340-500 record breaking non-stop flight between
Southeast Asia and North America,” said Noel Forgeard, Airbus President
and Chief Executive Officer. “Airbus is very proud to be to be sharing in
Singapore Airlines’ aim of making the world a smaller place.”

The Airbus A330/A340 Family is the market leader in its class, with nearly
850 orders from 64 customers worldwide. It is the aircraft family on which
passengers prefer to travel for long-haul flights, consistently emerging
at the top in independent passenger surveys.

Singapore Airlines placed its original A340-500 order for five firm and
five option aircraft in 1999. The airline is also a launch customer for
the A380 Double Decker with 10 firm orders and 15 options. Singapore
Airlines will be the first airline to put the A380 into service, in Spring
2006.

A leading aircraft manufacturer with the most modern and comprehensive
product line on the market, Airbus is a global company with design and
manufacturing facilities in France, Germany, the UK, and Spain as well as
subsidiaries in the U.S., China and Japan. Headquartered in Toulouse,
France, Airbus is a joint EADS Company with BAE Systems.
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