SAN FRANCISCO -- Singapore Airlines resumed nonstop service
between the U.S. and its hub at Singapore's Changi Airport on Sunday.
The 8,451-mile flight between Singapore and San Francisco is
also the first Airbus A350 service on the U.S. West Coast, San Francisco
International Airport COO Jeff Littlefield said during the launch ceremony.
Specifically, the flight made use of the 10,000th aircraft to come off the
Airbus assembly line. Singapore Airlines took delivery of the plane in
mid-October and denotes its unique status on the plane's livery.
Singapore last flew nonstop to the U.S. in 2013, when it
suspended routes to Los Angeles and Newark amid rising fuel costs. The
Newark-Singapore route had been the longest in the world.
Singapore's new San Francisco flight competes with United's
San Francisco-Changi service, which the carrier commenced in June. The two
flights share the third-longest direct commercial airline route that is
currently being flown.
At the launch ceremony, Littlefield said the service is a
source of pride for San Francisco International.
"Ultimately it is the travelers of San Francisco who
are the real winners of this new service," he said.