United To Begin Staggering 18-Hour Flight Between LAX, Singapore

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com/AP) – United Airlines announced Thursday it will begin nonstop service between Los Angeles and Singapore later this year, which would be the longest route of any carrier flying out of the United States.

The airline reported the daily flights between Los Angeles International Airport and Changi Airport will start Oct. 27, pending government approval.

At a distance of 8,700 miles, it will set a record for the longest flight of any carrier out of the U.S., breaking the current record held by Qantas' 8,578-mile trip between Dallas-Fort Worth and Sydney, Australia.

According to United, the new flight will clock in at about 17 hours and 55 minutes westbound. The eastbound leg will come in at 15 hours and 15 minutes.

"We are proud that United Airlines will set a new record for the longest nonstop route by a domestic carrier right here at LAX," said Deborah Flint, CEO of Los Angeles World Airports in a news release.

United began nonstop service between San Francisco and Singapore about one year ago. Those flights are 8,446 miles long.

Among flights that don't touch the U.S., Qatar Airways flies a 9,032-mile route between its hub in Doha and Auckland, New Zealand.

(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)