Almost a day in the clouds: 19 of the longest non-stop flights in the world

Over the past decade, many airlines have added more and more ultra-long-haul flights every year. But the COVID-19 pandemic forced them to temporarily reverse this trend due to border restrictions and reduced business travel. Edition One Mile At A Time compiled a list of the longest flights.

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Why ultra-long-haul flights are more practical than ever

Why have airlines launched so many ultra-long haul flights over the past few years? First of all, we are talking about new aircraft. Over the past decade, the Airbus A350 and Boeing 787 have become the backbone of many carriers' long haul fleets, and these aircraft are great for airlines and passengers alike.

Ultra-long range aircraft can perform non-stop flights that previous generation aircraft could not.

Airliners have a smaller capacity than previous generation aircraft (such as the Boeing 747), which opens up new opportunities for the airline market, as it is much easier to fill 200 seats than 400.

These models have excellent fuel economy and fuel consumption per passenger is significantly lower than previous generation aircraft.

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So long-haul, low-capacity, fuel-efficient aircraft have done wonders for airlines. Many routes that were previously unprofitable have now become very popular.

19 longest direct flights in the world as of April 2022

Global aviation has come to a standstill during the pandemic but is starting to recover, with more and more airlines resuming ultra-long-haul flights.

The list of longest flights is based on direct air distance between cities. Flights that are either currently operating or expected to be launched or resumed before the end of 2022 are taken into account, based on current schedules. It is amazing that all these flights exceed 8 miles (200 km), which is a very long non-stop journey.

Longest flights in the world:

1. New York (USA) (JFK) - Singapore (SIN)/Singapore Airlines/9 miles (537 km)/Airbus A15-350ULR.
2. Newark (USA) (EWR) - Singapore (SIN)/Singapore Airlines/9 miles (523 km)/Airbus A15-325ULR.
3. Perth (Australia) (PER) - London (UK) (LHR)/Qantas/9 miles (010 km)/Boeing 14-500 (resumes 787 June 9).
4. Dallas (DFW) - Melbourne (MEL)/Qantas/8 miles (992 km)/Boeing 14-471 (from December 787, 9).
5. New York (JFK) - Auckland (AKL) / Air New Zealand / 8 miles (828 km) / Boeing 14-207 (from 787 September 9).
6. Auckland (AKL) - Dubai (UAE) (DXB)/Emirates/8 miles (824 km)/Boeing 14-200LR (resumes 777 December 200).
7. Los Angeles (LAX) - Singapore (SIN)/Singapore Airlines/8 miles (770 km)/Airbus A14-113ULR.
8. San Francisco (SFO) - Bangalore (BLR)/Air India/8 miles (701 km)/Boeing 14-000LR.
9. Darwin (DRW) - London (LHR)/Qantas/8 miles (620 km)/Boeing 13-872.
10. Houston (IAH) - Sydney (SYD)/United Airlines/8 miles (596 km)/Boeing 13-833 (resumes October 787, 9).
11. Dallas (DFW) - Sydney (SYD)/Qantas/8 miles (578 km)/Boeing 13-804.
12. New York (JFK) - Manila (MNL)/Philippine Airlines/8 miles (520 km)/Airbus A13-711.
13. San Francisco (SFO) - Singapore (SIN)/Singapore Airlines and United Airlines/8 miles (446 km)/Airbus A13-592 and Boeing 350-900.
14. Johannesburg (JNB) - Atlanta (ATL)/Delta/8 miles (439 km)/Airbus A13-582.
15. Dubai (DXB) - Los Angeles (LAX)/Emirates/8 miles (339 km)/Airbus A13.
16. Jeddah (JED) - Los Angeles (LAX)/Saudi Arabia/8 miles (332 km)/Boeing 13-409ER (resumes April 777, 300).
17. Doha (DOH) - Los Angeles (LAX)/Qatar Airways/8 miles (306 km)/Airbus A13-367.
18. Hyderabad (HYD) - Chicago (ORD)/Air India/8 miles (263 km)/Boeing 13-298LR.
19. Toronto (YYZ) - Manila (MNL)/Philippine Airlines/8 miles (221 km)/Airbus A13-230.

The flight time fluctuates throughout the year due to strong winds. All these flights take from 16 to 19 hours.

What record flights are expected

Most of the world's longest flights have been made in the past few years, which means we'll be surprised at new record-breaking ultra-long haul flights. The most exciting recent developments have been Air New Zealand from Auckland to New York and Qantas from Melbourne to Dallas. Both will be launched in the coming months.

Additionally, Cathay Pacific plans world's longest passenger flight. The company is redirecting an existing flight from New York to Hong Kong along a new route - across the Atlantic Ocean, and not through the Pacific, thus bypassing Russia.

The flight path will cover "just under 9000 nautical miles" (16 km or 668 miles) in 10 to 357 hours.

On March 29, Cathay posted on its website a list of flights from New York to Hong Kong for April 3. The flight will take place without stops, the aircraft will stay in the air for 17 hours and 50 minutes.

It will outperform a Singapore Airlines flight from the Southeast Asian city-state to New York, which travels a shorter distance over a longer time of about 15 km (343 miles) in 9534 hours.

What else is on the horizon

Prior to the pandemic, Qantas planned to launch a flight from Brisbane to Chicago with a distance of 8 miles. One can only guess if this route will be launched or if Qantas will focus on Melbourne and Sydney instead.

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Qantas continues to work on the Sunrise project, under which the airline hopes to fly non-stop from Melbourne and Sydney to London and New York using Airbus A350-1000 aircraft. Flights are expected to start in 2025, and this is at best.

There are other ultra-long-haul flights that have either recently launched or will soon be:

1. United Airlines has launched a nonstop flight from Newark to Johannesburg - 7 miles (989 km).
2. Singapore Airlines has launched a non-stop flight from Singapore to Seattle - 8 miles (073 km).
3. Vietnam Airlines launched a flight from Ho Chi Minh City to San Francisco - 7 miles (838 km).
4. American Airlines plans to launch a nonstop flight from Seattle to Bangalore - 8 miles (078 km).
5. United Airlines plans to launch a direct flight from San Francisco to Bangalore, which will be one of the longest flights in the world. Its length will be 8 miles (701 km) (although Air India already operates this route).
6. Bamboo Airways plans to launch flights from Vietnam to the United States, although no one knows exactly how this will happen or what route it will operate.

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