Flights will commence on October 11, linking the island state off the south coast of Malaysia with New York through Newark Liberty International airport.

The route will be flown three times a week by Airbus A350-900ULR (ultra long-range) aircraft, departing Singapore on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Daily services will start a week later on October 18 when the airline takes delivery of a fourth aircraft.

The journey, at 18 hours 25 minutes from Singapore to New York and 18 hours 45 minutes return, eclipses Qantas’ 17-hour non-stop service between Heathrow and Perth launched back in March.

Flights will traverse 12 time zones and at more than 9,500 miles, extent the record for the world’s longest commercial flight, currently held by Qatar Airways’ Doha to Auckland service, by around 500 miles.

Singapore is the first airline to take receipt of the new A350-900ULR, with seven on order in total due for delivery by the end of the year. They will be configured in a two-class layout that features 67 business class seats and 94 premium economy.

The airline previously flew the Singapore-Newark route until 2013 when its Airbus A340-500 aircraft were returned to the manufacturer.

Goh Choon Phong, Singapore Airlines chief executive, said: “Singapore Airlines has always taken pride in pushing the boundaries to provide the best possible travel convenience for our customers, and we are pleased to be leading the way with these new non-stop flights using the latest-technology.

“The flights will offer our customers the fastest way to travel between the two cities – in great comfort, together with Singapore Airlines’ legendary service - and will help boost connectivity to and through the Singapore hub.”