FX.co ★ Under the wing of an airplane: the longest non-stop commercial flights
Under the wing of an airplane: the longest non-stop commercial flights
Among the long-range passenger aircraft - «marathoners» the leaders are American and European. From the Russian fleet, only the IL-96 can compete with them.
The top of the longest flights is compiled according to the great circle distance, the shortest distance between 2 points that the aircraft actually covers, but (like time) it can be longer or shorter due to weather conditions, wind, route and other factors. Such flights are served by 2 separate teams of flight attendants who replace each other during the flight.
Abu Dhabi (UAE) – Los Angeles (USA)
Airline: Etihad Airways (UAE)
Distance: 13,500 km (8,388 miles)
Flight time: 16 hours 30 minutes
Aircraft: Boeing 777-200LR
Flight EY 171 was launched in June 2014. At first, an Airbus A340-500 flew along the route with 240 passengers (12 in first class, 28 in business and 200 in economy). However, already in July 2014, Etihad Airways replaced it with a Boeing 777-200LR with 40 seats in business class and 189 in economy. Passengers during the flight cross 11 time zones.
Atlanta (USA) – Johannesburg (South Africa)
Airline: Delta Air Lines (USA)
Distance: 13,581 km (8,439 miles)
Flight time: 16 hours 55 minutes
Aircraft: Boeing 777-200LR
The same plane carries out a transatlantic flight DL 201. The first flight on the route Johannesburg - Atlanta took place on June 2, 2009. The time difference between destinations is 6 hours.
San Francisco (USA) – Singapore (Singapore)
Airline: United Airlines (USA) and Singapore Airlines (Singapore)
Distance: 13,593 km (8,447 miles)
Flight time: 17 hours 35 minutes (Singapore Airlines)
Aircraft: Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner (United Airlines), Airbus A350-900 or Airbus A350-900ULR (Singapore Airlines)
Flights UA I and SQ 31 were launched in June and October 2016 respectively. Passengers who fly on this route are involved in an interesting game with time due to the change of 15 time zones.
Manila (Philippines) - New York, JFK airport (USA)
Airline: Philippine Airlines (Philippines)
Distance: 13,712 km (8,520 miles)
Flight time: 16 hours 30 minutes
Aircraft: Airbus A350-900
On the Manila - New York route, Flight PR 126 crosses 12 time zones. It was launched in September 2018. The Airbus A350-900 has 3 classes of service and a capacity of 314 people.
Sydney (Australia) - Dallas, Fort Worth Airport (USA)
Airline: Qantas (Australia)
Distance: 13,804 km (8,578 miles)
Flight time: 16 hours 55 minutes
Aircraft: Airbus A380-800
QF 8, the only non-stop flight between Australia and the US East Coast, was launched in September 2014. There are 14 seats on board in first class, 64 in business, 35 in premium economy and 371 in economy. The time difference between the end points of the route is 15 hours.
Houston (USA) – Sydney (Australia)
Airline: United Airlines (USA)
Distance: 13,834 km (8,596 miles)
Flight time: 17 hours 30 minutes
Aircraft: Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner
The company operates several non-stop flights between the US and Australia: from Los Angeles, San Francisco and Houston. A flight over such a distance is a real journey through time, as passengers have to cross 17 (!) time zones.
Singapore (Singapore) – Los Angeles (USA)
Airline: Singapore Airlines (Singapore)
Distance: 14,114 km (8,770 miles)
Flight time: 17 hours 50 minutes
Aircraft: Airbus A350-900 or Airbus A350-900ULR
Singapore Airlines launched several direct flights to this popular destination by July 2018. The airline became the first and only operator of the two-class aircraft A350-900ULR. There are 67 business class seats and 94 premium economy seats in the cabin. The time difference between Singapore and Los Angeles reaches 15 hours.
Auckland (New Zealand) - New York, Newark Liberty Airport (USA)
Airline: Air New Zealand (New Zealand)
Distance: 14,178 km (8,810 miles)
Flight time: 17 hours 40 minutes
Aircraft: Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner
The flight on the «dream plane» Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner on the Auckland - New York route was launched on October 29, 2020. The capacity of the long-haul liner varies from 242 to 330 people in two-class modifications. During the flight, passengers cross 16 time zones.
Dubai (UAE) – Auckland (New Zealand)
Airline: Emirates (UAE)
Distance: 14,200 km (8,824 miles)
Flight time: 17 hours 25 minutes
Aircraft: Airbus A380-800, Boeing 777-200LR
Flight EK 448 was launched in March 2016. The largest cities in the UAE and New Zealand are separated by 8 time zones.
Perth (Australia) - London, Heathrow Airport (UK)
Airline: Qantas (Australia)
Distance: 14,499 km (9,009 miles)
Flight time: 17 hours 25 minutes
Aircraft: Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner
The first ever non-stop passenger flight from Australia to the UK took place on 24 March 2018. Flight QF9, carrying more than 200 passengers and 16 crew members, spent more than 17 hours on the way. During the flight, passengers crossed 7 time zones.
Doha (Qatar) – Auckland (New Zealand)
Airline: Qatar Airways (Qatar)
Distance: 14,535 km (9,032 miles)
Flight time: 16 hours 23 minutes
Aircraft: Boeing 777-200LR
Flight QR 920 was launched in February 2017. The Boeing 777 has 217 economy class seats and 42 business class seats. The time difference between Doha and Auckland is 9 hours. Interestingly, the return route takes 2 hours longer due to the wind.
Singapore (Singapore) - New York, Newark Airport (USA)
Airline: Singapore Airlines (Singapore)
Distance: 15,344 km (9,534 miles)
Flight time: 18 hours 45 minutes
Aircraft: Airbus A350-900ULR
The first flight SQ22 on October 11-12, 2018 covered 16.7 thousand km over the Pacific Ocean, Canada and the USA in 17 hours and 25 minutes. This passenger flight turned out to be the longest without refueling and later became regular. The time difference between destinations is 12 hours.
New York (USA) – Sydney (Australia)
Airline: Qantas (Australia)
Distance: 16,309 km (10,133 miles)
Flight time: 19 hours 14 minutes
Aircraft: Boeing 787-9
According to FlightAware, this non-stop flight broke the previous record. The first flight was made on October 20, 2019 with 40 passengers on board. The aircraft overcame 14 time zones and landed 37 minutes late.
