Longest flights

Over time, different airline companies have established a number of ultra-long haul non-stop flights. This article covers the longest flights among them. The opening of these super long routes can reduce the number of stops passengers must take to increase passenger comfort in the journey and reduce the time needed to travel between distant city pairs, although stopovers can also be rejuvenating in long distance travel.^[1][2] It also can help build ego and build loyalty among a set of flyers.^[3] And thus there is competition among airlines to establish the longest flight,^[4] even though these operations often use suboptimal shrunk airliners, are harder to profit from.^[5]

Definition

The word "longest flight" can mean numerous different things. The most commonly referred to metric would be for distance between the origin airport and destination airport, but it can also refer to longest in term of time needed to fly the route or the distance actually flown by the aircraft. Also, although it is most commonly used to compare between different non-stop flights, direct flights with stops might also be compared in some occasions.

Current longest route

The "world's longest flight" has disputed status due to the generality of such a claim. While the distance between two cities is constant, aircraft do not follow a straight path but will adjust the flight path based on headwinds/tailwinds, other weather events, and to avoid overflying certain countries due to politics or war.^[6]

By great circle distance and by time

Since 5 February 2017, the longest non-stop scheduled airline flight (by great circle distance) is Qatar Airways Flight 921 (QR 921) from Auckland, New Zealand to Doha, Qatar, and its return Flight 920, at 14,534 kilometres (7,848 nmi). Those flights use a Boeing 777-200LR.^[7] This is also the longest flight in duration, as QR 921 takes 17 hours and 40 minutes to complete.^[8]

By actual distance travelled

Often, planned routings may ignore the shorter distance of an optimal great circle route in order to use prevailing tailwinds to save time and fuel costs. One such example is Air India Flight 173 (AI 173) from Delhi to San Francisco, using a Boeing 777-200LR, whose great circle distance is 12,402 kilometres (6,696 nmi). Since 16 October 2016, AI 173 has been routed over the Pacific Ocean instead of the North Pole, often making the flight more than 14,500 km (7,829 nmi) in length,^[9] similar to QR 921's distance, but taking only 14.5 hours (compared to QR 921's 17.7 hours) due to a strong tailwind.^[10] On 1 September 2017, Air India will add nonstop flight AI 175, from Delhi to Los Angeles, with a similar 14,500+ km (7,829 nmi) route over the Pacific Ocean rather than the shorter great circle distance of 12,896 kilometres (6,963 nmi).^[11]

Another case of such a discrepancy is Cathay Pacific flight CX 831 (Hong Kong to New York) or United Airlines flight UA 179 and CX 839 (both flying Hong Kong to Newark), which often fly close to 14,500 kilometres (7,829 nmi) in ground distance to take advantage of strong tailwinds, rather than the shorter great circle route of roughly 12,900 kilometres (7,000 nmi).^[12][13]

History

PBY Catalina G-AGKS of the Double Sunrise service.

From 1943 to 1945, Qantas operated "The Double Sunrise", a weekly 5,652-kilometre (3,052 nmi) flight between Perth, Australia and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) with average flight times of 28 hours, using a Consolidated PBY Catalina.^[14] One of these flights remains the record holder for longest time airborne at 32 hours 9 minutes.^[15]

On 1–2 October 1957, a Trans World Airlines Lockheed L-1649 Starliner, the ultimate piston-engine airliner in terms of range and endurance, flew the inaugural 8,640-kilometre (4,670 nmi) London–San Francisco polar route in 23 hours, 19 minutes.^[16]

In June 1961, El Al began a 9,270-kilometre (5,010 nmi) route from New York City to Tel Aviv using a Boeing 707 and averaging 9 hours, 33 minutes. This route was previously tested in December 1957 with a Bristol Britannia.^[17]

In August 1967, Aerolíneas Argentinas established its non-stop Boeing 707 service on a 10,062-kilometre (5,433 nmi) route between Madrid and Buenos Aires with a flight time of 12 hours.^[18]

The Aerolíneas Argentinas route was the longest scheduled flight by distance until 1976, when the Boeing 747SP entered service. In April 1976, Pan American World Airways set the new record with its 10,854-kilometre (5,861 nmi) New York City (John F. Kennedy International Airport)–Tokyo route. In December, the airline set another record with Sydney–San Francisco, covering 11,937 kilometres (6,445 nmi).

In May 1988, El Al introduced its long-haul passenger flight from Tel Aviv to Los Angeles, completing its 12,189-kilometre (6,582 nmi) journey in 13 hours, 41 minutes.

The dissolution of the Soviet Union eventually opened the airspace over Russia, allowing new circumpolar routes to come into use for commercial airlines.^[19] On 1 March 2001, Continental Airlines launched a 13,578-kilometre (7,332 nmi) non-stop service from Newark to Hong Kong—the first non-stop long-haul route for any airline with the flying duration exceeding 16 hours.^[19] A few days later, United Airlines started its own New York City (John F. Kennedy International Airport) to Hong Kong service, adding 3 kilometers to the distance.^[19]

On 3 February 2004, Singapore Airlines introduced a 14,113-kilometre (7,620 nmi) flight from Singapore to Los Angeles, scheduled for 16 hours, 30 minutes in the summer, 15 hours, 35 minutes in the winter. It took 17 hours, 20 minutes in summer and 18 hours, 5 minutes in winter on the return trip.

In June 2004, Singapore Airlines introduced Flight SQ 21, using the Airbus A340-500 on a 15,344-kilometre (8,285 nmi) great circle route from Newark to Singapore, passing within 130 kilometres (70 nmi) of the North Pole, taking a little over 18 hours.^[20] This was immediately surpassed by return Flight SQ 22, which flew the current record of 16,600 kilometres (9,000 nmi) back to Newark.^[21] Despite the greater distance, Flight SQ 22 averaged a slightly shorter 17 hours, 45 minutes because of prevailing high-altitude winds.^[22]

In the late 2000s/early 2010s, rising fuel prices coupled with the Great Recession caused the cancellation of many ultra-long haul, non-stop flights.^[23] This included the services provided by Singapore Airlines from Singapore to Newark and Los Angeles.^[24][25] But as fuel prices have since decreased and more fuel efficient aircraft have come into service, many ultra-long haul routes have been reinstated or newly scheduled.^[23]

Record flights

A Qantas B747-400 known as the City of Canberra (VH-OJA). This 747 flew from London to Sydney non-stop during its delivery flight, flying 18,000 kilometers in about 20 hours.

In August 1989 the first Qantas 747-438 being delivered by Boeing, the City of Canberra, set a distance record for a commercial aircraft by flying 18,001 kilometres (9,720 nmi) non-stop between London and Sydney in 20 hours, 9 minutes, creating publicity for the airline's "Longreach" services with the 747-400. In addition to the five pilots, there were two cabin crew and sixteen passengers aboard.^[26]

On 16 June 1993 an Airbus A340-200 dubbed the World Ranger flew from the Paris Air Show to Auckland, New Zealand in 21 hours 32 minutes and back in 21 hours 46 minutes after a five-hour layover: the first non-stop flight between Europe and New Zealand and the longest non-stop flight by an airliner.^[27] The 19,277 km (10,409 nmi) flight from Paris to Auckland was done with 22 persons and five center tanks.^[28] This record held until 1997 when a Boeing 777-200ER flew 20,044 km (10,823 nmi) from Seattle to Kuala Lumpur on delivery to Malaysia Airlines.^[29]

On 9 November 2005, a Pakistan International Airlines Boeing 777-200LR completed the world's longest non-stop passenger flight. It traveled 21,602 kilometres (11,664 nmi) eastward from Hong Kong to London (Heathrow) in roughly 22 hours, 22 minutes as opposed to a normal westward routing for that sector, which is much shorter at 9,647 kilometres (5,209 nmi).^[30] Aboard the 777-200LR were eight pilots, including Suzanna Darcy-Henneman, Boeing's first female test pilot. Although the airplane seats 301, there were only 27 passengers aboard this flight.^[31]

In March 2006, a British Airways Boeing 777-200 made the longest commercial non-stop flight with paying passengers when chartered by UK prime minister Tony Blair and his entourage from Brussels to Melbourne in 18 hours, 45 minutes.^[32]

On 6 March 2016, two days before International Women's Day, Air India operated the world's longest all-women-crew flight. The 17-hour, 12,402 kilometres (6,697 nmi)-long flight, AI 173 from Delhi to San Francisco, had an all-women staff, including cabin crew, cockpit crew, doctor, customer care staff and the ground staff including the operator, technician, engineer, flight dispatcher and trimmer.^[33]

Future routes

Scheduled services

On 1 September 2017, Air India would start a non-stop flight from Delhi Airport to Los Angeles Airport.^[34] The great circle distance covered would be 6,964 nmi (12,897 km; 8,014 mi).^[35] Air India doesn't have any DEL-LAX on schedule though.^[36]

On 27 October 2017, United Airlines will begin nonstop flights between Los Angeles and Singapore, covering 7,621 nmi; 14,114 km and scheduled for approximately 18 hours, using 252-seat Boeing 787-9s.^[37]

On 1 December 2017, Air Canada will begin nonstop seasonal flights between Vancouver and Melbourne using Boeing 787-9 aircraft. The flight will cover 13,183 km (7,118 nmi) and last about 16 hours.^[38] The route will operate during the winter season.

On 24 March 2018, Qantas will begin nonstop flights between Perth and London-Heathrow using Boeing 787-9 aircraft. The flight will cover 14,499 km (7,829 nmi)^[39] and last about 17 hours.^[40] It will become the first regularly scheduled nonstop passenger flight to directly link Europe and Australia.

On 27 June 2018, Qatar Airways will begin service between Doha and Las Vegas, covering 13,074 km (7,059 nmi). This route will be flown with a Boeing 777-200LR and will take approximately 16 hours.^[41]

Scheduled discontinuations

On 29 October 2017, Etihad Airways will discontinue service from Abu Dhabi to San Francisco after Etihad said that this was their worst performing US route.^[42]

Announced but not yet scheduled services

Singapore Airlines is the launch customer of the ultra-long range Airbus A350-900 ULR. To be delivered in 2018, the airplane will enable re-launch of non-stop flights from Singapore over 14,113 km (7,620 nmi)^[43] to Los Angeles and 15,348 km (8,287 nmi)^[44] to New York City, among other options.^[45] Seating will be reduced to around 170 to allow for more fuel to be carried, which can also allow the airline to serve other cities such as Toronto and Chicago in the future.^[46]

In August 2015, Emirates announced a nonstop Dubai-Panama City, Panama service to start on 1 February 2016, covering 13,821 km (7,463 nmi)^[47] in 17 hours, 35 minutes westbound. In January 2016, however, the start was postponed to 31 March 2016. In early March, less than a month before commencing services, Emirates postponed the route until the end of 2016 or early 2017 or "as soon as conditions allow."^[48][49]

In April 2017, Qatar Airways announced its intentions to launch Doha to San Francisco service using Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.^[50]

Envisioned services

According to a published report in September 2015, Miami International Airport (Florida) was in talks with EVA Air and China Airlines of Taiwan to launch before 2018 a nonstop 13,922 km (7,517 nmi) flight to Taipei.^[51] In June 2016, a chartered China Airlines Boeing 777-300ER carrying Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen flew non-stop from Taipei to Miami before continuing to Panama. The airport director spoke with President Tsai about the opportunity for scheduled service between Miami and Taipei.^[52] The airport has been actively pursuing a non-stop flight to East Asia since 2015; there are currently no non-stop passenger flights between Florida (the third-most populous state in the US after California and Texas) and East Asia.^[53][54] In May 2017, the region's aviation department director predicted such flight would happen within next 24 months.^[55]

According to media reports citing insider information,^[56] Qantas will be starting flights between Perth and Paris in late 2018, using the Boeing 787-9.

Airliners

The longest range Airbus jetliner in service is the A340-500, capable of flying up to 16,670 kilometres (9,000 nmi) with 293 passengers. The A380 is capable of flying 15,200 kilometres (8,200 nmi) with 544 passengers. The A350-900 can fly 15,000 kilometres (8,100 nmi) with 325 passengers. The announced A350-900ULR will be capable of flying over 18,000 kilometres (9,700 nmi).^[57][58]

The longest range Boeing airliner in service is the 777-200LR, which can cover 15,840 kilometres (8,550 nmi) with 317 passengers. The announced Boeing 777-8X will be capable of flying 16,110 kilometres (8,700 nmi) with 350 to 375 passengers.^[59] A longer range variant of the 777-8X could enable economical non-stop flights on the 17,016-kilometre (9,188 nmi) Kangaroo route between London and Sydney in about 19 hours.^[60]

Newer airliners like the Airbus A330neo, the Airbus A350XWB, and the Boeing 787 Dreamliner are making viable long-haul, non-stop routes that were previously uneconomic.^[61]

Longest passenger flights by great circle distance

The following table lists the world's longest non-stop scheduled passenger routes by great circle distance. While the actual route may be significantly longer than the direct distance, actual distances are variable based on the conditions. In principle, the average of the flight times to and from a destination is much more closely correlated to the great circle distance.

Currently scheduled (top 30, by distance)

For the purposes of this table, multiple flights operated by the same airline between the same airports are counted as one flight, while different airlines operating between the same airports are counted separately. Also, each airport pair is counted separately, even though some cities have multiple airports supporting long-range flights (e.g. New York-JFK and Newark airports serving New York City and Tokyo-Haneda and Tokyo-Narita serving Tokyo).

Notes

^Note 1 The date given for the start of Qantas Flight 8 is when it began flying non-stop after switching to the Airbus A380-800 from the Boeing 747-400ER. Previously, QF 8 required a stop in Brisbane, though the eastbound QF 7 from Sydney was always non-stop. The first flight of QF 7 was 16 May 2011.^[94]

^Note 2 South African Airways operates the New York to Johannesburg flight non-stop throughout the year. However, from October to March, the return Johannesburg to New York flight operates with a stop in Dakar, Senegal, with an Airbus A340-300. In the summer months, both directions are non-stop with the Airbus A340-600.^[95]

^Note 3 Even though Air India flight 173 and 175 typically flies over 9,000 miles (15,000 km) in the eastbound Delhi to San Francisco/Los Angeles flights, the list above only ranks based on great circle distance, not actual distance travelled. The great circle distance between Delhi and San Francisco is 7,706 miles (12,402 km), and the great circle distance between Delhi and Los Angeles is 8,013 miles (12,896 km).^[96]

^Note 4 After Qatar Airways began nonstop flights between Doha and Auckland on 5 February 2017, the flight is currently operated by Boeing 777-200LR aircraft.^[97][98] The 777-200LR is a temporary solution. In the near future, it will be an Airbus A350 but currently there is not enough available. ^[99]

Discontinued

Airlines and aircraft types for non-stop flights

The sections below gives two separate views. The first one lists all the commercial aircraft types used for serving non-stop flights and their currently scheduled and operating longest flight. The second section attempts to list all the passenger airline companies in the world and their longest scheduled non-stop flight currently in operation.

By aircraft type

Current

The table below lists the current longest (by great circle distance) non-stop flights operated by different types of aircraft.

Records

The table below lists the longest (by great circle distance) ever (Current and Historical) regularly scheduled non-stop revenue flights operated by different types of aircraft.

Notes:

• One-off flights do not count

By airline companies (currently scheduled)

The table below lists international airline companies with their longest (in mileage not time) non-stop flight currently in operation.

See also

• Flight length
• ETOPS/LROPS
• Longest train services
• Flight distance record

Notes

References