Aviation roundup: Singapore Airlines, Cathay Dragon and more

SIA’s New York flights to take off this October
Singapore Airlines (SIA) will launch the world’s longest commercial flights when its Singapore-New York service begins in October, covering a distance of approximately 16,700km in nearly 19 hours.

The route will be operated on the new Airbus A350-900ULR (ultra-long-range) aircraft, which will be configured in a two-class layout, with 67 Business Class seats and 94 Premium Economy Class seats.

Flights will begin on October 11 to Newark Liberty International Airport. The route will be served thrice weekly initially, departing Singapore on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Daily operations will commence from October 18 after an additional A350-900ULR aircraft enters service.

During the Northern Summer period until October 27, 2018, SQ22 will depart Singapore at 23.35 and arrive in Newark at 06.00 the following day. The return leg, SQ21, will depart Newark at 10.45 and arrive in Singapore at 17.30 the following day.

During the Northern Winter period (October 28 to March 30, 2019), SQ22 will depart Singapore at 00.40 and arrive in Newark at 05.30. The return flight SQ21 will depart Newark at 09.45, and land in Singapore at 17.15 the following day.

Non-stop Singapore-Los Angeles flights are also planned with the A350-900ULR, details of which will be announced at a later date.

Cathay Dragon adds two SE Asian destinations to network
Cathay Dragon, the regional subsidiary of Cathay Pacific, is launching two routes this October to Davao City, Philippines, and Medan, Indonesia. Both routes will utilise an Airbus A320 aircraft.

Beginning October 28, Cathay Dragon will fly to Davao City four-times weekly on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

KA347 will depart Hong Kong at 12.34 and arrive in Davao at 15.50, and the return flight KA348 will depart Davao at 16.50 to arrive in Hong Kong at 20.00.

The thrice-weekly Medan service will begin a day later on October 29. KA359 will depart Hong Kong at 21.50 on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays, and arrive in Medan at 00.50 the following day. The return flight KA358 will depart Medan at 01.50 and arrive in Hong Kong at 07.05 on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

The new routes will be the first non-stop connections Davao City and Medan will have with Hong Kong.

Air China flies to Hanoi from Beijing
On June 1, Air China will begin direct flights between Beijing and Hanoi.

The new service will be operated under flight numbers CA741/742 four times a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays.

Outbound flights will depart from Beijing at 01.25 and arrive in Hanoi at 04.15. Inbound flights will depart from Hanoi at 05.45 and arrive in Beijing at 10.25

AirAsia X steps up frequency to Honolulu
From August 16, AirAsia X will increase its Kuala Lumpur-Honolulu via Osaka flights from four-times weekly to daily.

Air France and Qantas renew codeshare partnership
Qantas and Air France have renewed their codeshare agreement.

Available for booking from June 5 for travel from July 20, Air France will add its code to Qantas flights between Hong Kong and Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane and between Singapore and Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth.

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