Longest flights

Over time, commercial airlines have established a number of scheduled ultra long-haul non-stop flights. These exceptionally long routes reduce 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.
The length of a flight can be defined in different ways. The most common standard flight length measurement is by great-circle distance, a formula that calculates the shortest distance across the curvature of the earth for two airports' ARPs. It is the only measurement that is constant on a given city-pair route and unaffected by operational variances. For this reason it is the standard for communicating commercial aviation flight length and is used by governing agencies like ICAO, flight schedule providers, and airlines themselves.
For the sake of disambiguation, other terms used in reference to alternative definitions of "longest flights" (and also incur operational variance) include:
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 (same flight number used for the full journey) might also be compared on some occasions.
Since November 9, 2020, the longest active scheduled passenger flight by great-circle distance is Singapore Airlines Flights 23 and 24 using an Airbus A350-900ULR between Singapore and New York–JFK at 15,349 kilometres (9,537 mi; 8,288 nmi).
The longest ever scheduled passenger flight 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 15,715 kilometres (9,765 mi; 8,485 nmi) 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 the aircraft and pass through United States Customs & Border Protection before re-boarding and continuing 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 during its flights in March–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 domestic passenger flight, as it flew between French territories.
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.
Since November 9, 2020, the two longest flights (measured by ground distance traveled) are Singapore Airlines' flights SQ23 (second longest) and SQ24 (longest) 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 15,350 km (9,540 mi; 8,290 nmi). However, SQ24 to New York is typically flown a ground distance of around 17,250 km (10,720 mi; 9,310 nmi) 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 16,500 km (10,300 mi; 8,900 nmi) eastward, across the Atlantic Ocean, when favorable jet streams winds are available to save both 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 15,110 km (9,390 mi; 8,160 nmi) over the Pacific Ocean instead of a shorter westward great-circle route of about 13,300 km (8,300 mi; 7,200 nmi) 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 15,300 km (9,500 mi; 8,300 nmi) for the first such flight in 2016, and it is not unheard of for particular flights to cover more than 16,000 km (9,900 mi; 8,600 nmi).
Cathay Pacific flights from Hong Kong to New York–JFK will also sometimes fly 15,000 km (9,300 mi; 8,100 nmi) ground routes, instead of a 12,984 km (8,068 mi; 7,011 nmi) 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. As a result, a number of flights from Japan to Europe now fly using 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 13,400 km (8,326 mi; 7,235 nmi) or longer, compared to a great-circle distance of 9,618 km (5,976 mi; 5,193 nmi).
Since the first scheduled commercial passenger flight in 1914 that covered 34 kilometres (21 mi; 18 nmi), records for the longest flight (by great-circle distance) were rapidly set and continue to be set today.
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.
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. 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.
A number of promotional or delivery flights have extended the record of longest non-stop flights by a commercial aircraft:
The longest-range Airbus jetliner in service is the Airbus A350-900ULR, which is capable of flying 18,000 kilometres (11,000 mi; 9,700 nmi) . The A380 is capable of flying 15,200 kilometres (9,400 mi; 8,200 nmi) with 544 passengers. The standard A350-900 can fly 15,000 kilometres (9,300 mi; 8,100 nmi) with 325 passengers. Airbus is currently developing a variant of the A350-1000 for Qantas which will have the same range as the Airbus A350-900ULR at a distance of 18,000 kilometres (11,000 mi; 9,700 nmi).
The longest-range Boeing airliner in service is the 777-200LR, which can cover 17,395 kilometres (10,809 mi; 9,393 nmi) with 301 passengers. Boeing also considered developing a 777-200LR derivative for Qantas. It would feature three additional auxiliary fuel tanks (six total), a lighter interior derived from the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, as well as lower density seating. This aircraft would have the ability to fly between Sydney and London with a range of just over 18,500 kilometres (11,510 mi; 10,000 nmi). The announced Boeing 777-8 will be capable of flying 16,170 kilometres (10,050 mi; 8,730 nmi) with 350 to 375 passengers. The Boeing 787-9 can fly 14,140 kilometres (8,790 mi; 7,630 nmi) with 290 passengers.
Many 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.
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 (e.g. Heathrow and Gatwick airports serving London, and Haneda and Narita serving Tokyo).
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.
The sections below gives two separate views. The first one lists all the commercial passenger aircraft types and their currently scheduled and operating longest non-stop flight. The second section lists the longest non-stop flight ever regularly scheduled and operated by that commercial passenger aircraft type.
The table below lists the current longest (by great-circle distance) non-stop flights operated by different types of aircraft.
The table below lists the longest (by great-circle distance) regularly scheduled non-stop revenue flights ever operated by different types of aircraft. The table does not include special promotional or delivery flights, such as shown above.
New and soon to be launched non-stop flights with distances exceeding 12,952 kilometres (8,048 mi; 6,994 nmi), placing them on the top 30 list, have been announced: