Longest flights
Over time, commercial airlines using fixed-wing aircraft have established a number of scheduled ultra long-haul non-stop flights, reducing the travel time between distant city pairs as well as the number of stops needed for passengers' travels, thereby increasing passenger convenience. For an airline, choosing to operate long flights can also build brand image as well as loyalty among a set of flyers, therefore competition among airlines to establish the longest flight occurs.
Definition
Measurement method
The length of a flight can be defined in different ways, with the most common standard flight length measurement being great-circle distance, a formula that calculates the shortest distance across the curvature of the Earth for two airports' ARPs.As the only measurement that remains consistent between a specific city-pair and unaffected by operational factors, it is the standard used to represent flight distances in commercial aviation and is used by governing agencies like ICAO, flight schedule providers and airlines themselves.
Alternative definitions
For the sake of disambiguation, other terms used in reference to alternative definitions of "longest flights" include:Flight time – which varies based on multiple operational variables including: headings flown, equipment capabilities, or even air traffic congestion.- * A subvariant of this is "Flight endurance" which is used in referring to a specific operated flight, usually recorded with observers, specialized equipment, or other such formal arrangements that are not commonly found in commercial flights.
- * Flight scheduled time is another commonly reported figure that refers to the duration of a flight, published by a flight's operator. This is an unrelated/unreliable figure that incorporates further additional variables by airlines to reflect their operations and manage customer expectations that allow for variation in boarding procedures, anticipated time of day ground congestion, and even time allocated for remote stand operations.Ground distance traveled – Measuring of the actual ground distance covered by a flight. Flights commonly fly non-great-circle routes for operational reasons such as: favorable winds/meteorological conditions, regulatory/political restrictions, safety/equipment constraints, or even cost savings.
Flight types
There are numerous different types of flights globally operated by different aircraft for different industries and purposes. The term "longest flight" is most commonly used in reference to flights that are commercial, passenger and scheduled, such that the flight details are published and tickets are available for purchase.While the term "longest flight" is most commonly used in reference to non-stop flights, direct flights with stops might also be compared on some occasions.
Airliners
The longest-range Airbus jetliner in service is the Airbus A350-900ULR, which is capable of flying. The A380 is capable of flying with 544 passengers. The standard A350-900 can fly with 325 passengers. Airbus is currently developing a variant of the A350-1000 for Qantas which will have the same range as its sister model the Airbus A350-900ULR.The longest-range Boeing airliner in service is the 777-200LR, which can cover with 301 passengers. Boeing also considered developing a 777-200LR derivative for Qantas. It would feature three additional auxiliary fuel tanks, a lighter interior derived from the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, as well as lower density seating. Enabling the ability to fly between Sydney and London with a range of just over 18,500 kilometres. The announced Boeing 777-8 will be capable of flying with 350 to 375 passengers, with the Boeing 787-9 being able to fly with 290 passengers.
Many ultra long-haul, non-stop routes that used to be uneconomical to operate are being made viable by the Airbus A330neo, the Airbus A350 XWB, and the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. For example, Singapore Airlines Flights 21 and 22, the route launched in 2004 but called it off in 2013, back then operating costs are vulnerable to fluctuations in oil prices and passenger experience also differs from other routes, because the A340 operates in an all-business-class layout, maintaining sufficient guest traffic and controlling expenses becomes challenging, making the model economically unviable. Given flight durations exceeding 16 hours and sometimes fuel savings are achieved through jet stream, specially designed cabins and high-speed internet have been introduced accordingly, to set a new standard for future long-haul.
History
In the 1910's, the world's first commercial intercity air routes were operated by airships. With the rise of fixed-wing aircraft, the records for longest flights started to emerge. Since the first scheduled commercial passenger flight in 1914 that covered, records for the longest flight were rapidly set and continue to be set today.1920s and 1930s
The longest non-stop commercial flights of the 1930s were operated by flying boats, which were the predominant aircraft type of the time for long-range flight, in part because they did not require large airports capable of receiving large aircraft.*
1940s and 1950s
*1960s and 1970s
*1980s and 1990s
*2000s
*2010s and 2020s
In the late 2000s/early 2010s, rising fuel prices coupled with the 2008 financial crisis and the Great Recession caused the cancellation of many ultra long-haul, non-stop flights. This included the services provided by Singapore Airlines from Singapore to both Newark and Los Angeles that were ended in late 2013. But, as fuel prices have since decreased and more fuel-efficient aircraft have come into service, many ultra long-haul routes were reinstated or newly scheduled.*
Longest route
By great-circle distance
On November 9, 2020, Singapore Airlines Flights 23 and 24 became the longest active scheduled passenger flight by great-circle distance, using an Airbus A350-900ULR between Singapore Changi Airport and New York JFK Airport at.The longest-ever scheduled passenger flight as of 2020 was Air Tahiti Nui's flight TN64 using a Boeing 787-9, flying non-stop from Faaʻa International Airport in Papeete, Tahiti to Paris–CDG, a distance of in a scheduled duration of 16 hours, 20 minutes. This route was operated from March to April 2020.
This route was previously operated with a refueling stop at Los Angeles International Airport, where all passengers would disembark and pass through United States Customs & Border Protection, then re-board and continue to Paris. However, to comply with COVID-19 pandemic restrictions banning European travelers from entering the United States, the airline opted not to stop at Los Angeles in March and April 2020. The route was also made possible by the aircraft's reduced passenger load of about 150 passengers, which eliminated the need to refuel. This route also set a record for the world's longest passenger flight, as it flew between French territories.
By ground distance traveled
Routings may avoid great-circle routes, despite their shorter ground distance, for a variety of reasons, for example to avoid headwinds and/or use tailwinds to save time and fuel.On November 9, 2020, the two longest flights were Singapore Airlines' flights SQ23 and SQ24 between Singapore-Changi and New York–JFK in the U.S. Both of these flights have a geometrically optimal great-circle route near the North Pole of approximately. However, SQ24 to New York is typically flown a ground distance of around over the Pacific Ocean where jet streams can assist, while SQ23 back to Singapore sometimes opts, instead of the westward polar route, to fly a ground distance of eastward, across the Atlantic Ocean, when favorable jet streams winds are available to save flying time and fuel.
Similarly, the two Air India flights from New Delhi to San Francisco, AI173 and AI183, fly an eastward ground distance of about over the Pacific Ocean instead of a shorter westward great-circle route of about over the Atlantic Ocean, to avoid prevailing westerly headwinds and save almost two hours of flying time. Both these flights can travel with some variation in ground distance, with a report of for the first such flight in 2016, and it is not unheard of for particular flights to cover more than.
Cathay Pacific flights from Hong Kong to New York–JFK sometimes fly ground routes, instead of a great-circle route, for the same reason.
After the Russian invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, aircraft registered in or operated by multiple countries, including the European Union member states, the United Kingdom, Japan, and Switzerland, were banned from using Russian airspace. In response a number of flights from Japan to Europe changed to a polar route over Alaska and northern Canada. For example, Swiss International Air Lines flight LX161 from Tokyo–Narita to Zurich often flies this route, sometimes covering a ground distance of or longer, compared to a great-circle distance of. Others, such as Lufthansa's flight LH716 from Frankfurt to Tokyo-Haneda, instead avoid Russian airspace by flying over the Caucasus, Central Asia, and China.
Longest passenger flights
Non-stop flights (top 30, by great-circle distance)
The following table lists the world's longest non-stop scheduled passenger routes by great-circle distance. The actual distance flown, however, can be longer than the great-circle distance for a variety of reasons, such as avoiding severe weather, taking advantage of favorable winds aloft, detouring around closed airspace, and diverting around conflict zones.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.
| Rank | From | To | Airline | Flight number | Distance | Scheduled duration | Aircraft | First flight | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | New York–JFKnowrap| Direct flights with stops (12k+ km, by city pair great-circle distance)A direct flight between an origin and final destination has an intermediate stop, with all segments having the same flight number and using the same aircraft. In the following table, the "Origin – Destination" column lists the great-circle distance between the origin and final destination, excluding the stop. The "All Sectors" column lists the total great-circle distance from the origin to the stop to the final destination.
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