SINGAPORE – Singapore Airlines is set to launch the world’s first non-stopflight with almost 20 hours in the air, by the end of this year, the mediareported on Thursday.

Singapore Airlines’ newest plane, the Airbus A350-900ULR — for UltraLong-Range — will travel on a record-breaking, globe-spanning flight thatwill connect Singapore to New York, reports CNN,

Earlier, the airline used to fly the gas-guzzling, four-engine A340-500 onthe 9,500-mile route, with just 100 business-class seats on board.

The service proved to be inefficient, and Singapore Airlines cancelled theflights in 2013.

Singapore Airlines is now taking delivery of Airbus’ newest wide-body, theA350-900. It has 21 planes in its fleet, of an order for 67 aircraft.

It has ordered seven of the Ultra Long-Range planes.

On April 23, the plane had its first test flight, an almost five-hourround-trip that launched from the airframer’s assembly plant in Toulouse,France.

The Ultra Long-Range will be able to fly a remarkable 11,160 miles, anincrease of more than 1,800 miles over the standard A350. It means thatSingapore Airlines will reclaim the crown of running the world’s longestnon-stop air route.

Keeping passengers’ comfort in mind, the A350s share Airbus’ designphilosophy that makes the aircraft cabin feel more like a room, rather thana long tube.

The plane has high ceilings, sophisticated LED lighting, almost verticalsidewalls and a low noise level.

“The A350 is a clean-sheet design that has been designed for thoselong-range flights,” Florent Petteni, Airbus’ aircraft interiors marketingdirector for the A350, told CNN.

The air circulation system on the A350 has also been designed to be quietand draft-free.