SINGAPORE- Flag carrier Singapore Airlines (SQ) operates its final round-trip service on the world’s longest one-stop route, covering 10,013 nautical miles (18,544 km) each way between Singapore and Houston (IAH).
The Star Alliance carrier served the Texas airport for 17 years, initially routing via Moscow before shifting to Manchester (MAN) in 2016. This historic service has now concluded as SQ reconfigures its network strategy, Simple Flying reported.
Singapore Airlines Ends Houston Route
Singapore Airlines’ marathon route between Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) and Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) via Manchester Airport (MAN) has officially ended operations.
On March 30, flight SQ52 departed from Changi at 02:45 and arrived in Manchester at 09:04 local time after a 13-hour 19-minute journey.
Following a brief 2-hour 24-minute ground stop, the Airbus A350-900 (registration 9V-SMU) continued to Texas, landing at 15:34 local time after a 9-hour 35-minute flight.
The total block time to Texas, fighting headwinds was an extraordinary 26 hours and 15 minutes.
The return journey as SQ51 began from Houston at 19:54, reaching Manchester at 10:11 the following day after 8 hours and 17 minutes in the air.
After a two-hour turnaround in the UK, the aircraft departed at 12:05 and touched down in Singapore at 07:47 the next day, completing a 12-hour 42-minute final leg of this historic route.
A 17-Year Legacy of Ultra-Long-Haul Service
Singapore Airlines first established service to Houston in March 2008 using Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. Originally routed through Moscow Domodedovo Airport (DME), the service was designed to capture energy-related premium traffic between these global hubs.
In 2016, following economic challenges in Russia, the airline shifted the stopover to Manchester, creating Singapore Airlines’ first transatlantic passenger flight from the UK.
The route performed reasonably well in terms of passenger numbers, with the market seeing approximately 46,000 round-trip point-to-point passengers in 2023. Premium demand was particularly strong, with an impressive average one-way fare of $2,411 across all cabins.
However, US Department of Transportation data reveals the service achieved only a 64% seat occupancy rate over its 17-year history, despite carrying over 1.3 million round-trip Houston passengers during this period.
Network Adjustments and Future Operations
Singapore Airlines will continue serving Manchester Airport with five weekly nonstop flights using Airbus A350 aircraft, maintaining the same frequency it offered when operating the Houston extension.
This change significantly increases seat capacity dedicated to the Singapore-Manchester market, offering more opportunities for direct travel between Singapore and Northwest England.
For Manchester Airport, this change represents the loss of another US destination, while Houston loses one of its six Asian connections.
The airline’s decision likely reflects a strategic network reassessment, balancing the impressive yields against the operational costs of maintaining such an ultra-long route requiring multiple aircraft frames.
The New Longest One-Stop Champion
With Singapore Airlines ending this record service, the title of the world’s longest one-stop route now passes to Aircalin’s (SB) service connecting Nouméa (NOU) to Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) via Bangkok (BKK).
This A330-900-operated service, launched in December 2023, covers 9,514 nautical miles (8,267 km) with a block time of up to 25 hours and 40 minutes.
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