Over the past decade, airlines have added an incredible number of new long haul flights. The decrease in business travel and border restrictions have temporarily reversed this trend. Ultra long haul flights are once again being resumed.
In this post, I wanted to summarize the world's longest flights, what other ultra long haul flights might be on the horizon, and share why these are more practical than in the past.
Ultra long haul flights are more practical than ever.
Why have we seen so many long haul flights in the past? New aircraft technology is the main factor. The A350 and the Boeing 787 are great for airlines and passengers because they are the workhorses of long haul fleets.
The planes are long range and can fly nonstop.
It is easier to fill 200 seats than it is to fill 400, because the planes have lower capacity than previous generation aircraft.
The planes have great economics and per-passenger fuel burn is lower than previous generation aircraft.
Long range, fuel efficient, low capacity aircraft have done wonders for airlines when it comes to the viability of ultra long haul city pairs. Routes that were unprofitable previously make sense.
The A350-1000 is a plane by the airline.
The global aviation industry came to a halt during the Pandemic, but is starting to recover. I thought it was a good time to check out the world's longest flights, given how much the list has changed over the years. There are 17 longest flights. Since winds can affect the duration of flights, and some airlines do a lot of schedule padding, I am going off of distance.
I will be counting flights that are currently operating, or that are expected to resume in the next six months, based on current schedules. It is pretty amazing that all 17 flights are over 8,200 miles, which is a long way to go nonstop.
What are the longest flights? Here they are, starting with the longest and including the airline that operates the route, the distance, and the aircraft type used.
New York to Singapore is 9,537 miles.
Singapore Airlines and the A350-900ULR will resume on March 27, 2022.
Qantas and Boeing 787-9 will resume flights from Perth to London on March 27, 2022.
The flight from AKL toDXB will resume on July 1, 2022.
Los Angeles to Singapore is 8,770 miles.
San Francisco to Bangalore is 8,701 miles.
Qantas and Boeing 787-9 travel from Darwin to London.
The Boeing 787-9 will be available for hire from March 26, 2022.
The Boeing 787-9 will resume on February 16, 2022.
The route from New York to Manila is 8,520 miles.
San Francisco to Singapore is 8,446 miles, with Singapore Airlines and United Airlines.
Delta and the A350-900 are the destinations of the JNB to Atlanta.
The route is from Los Angeles to Los Angeles.
Boeing will resume flights from Saudia to Los Angeles on April 25, 2022.
There is a flight from Doha to Los Angeles and a flight from Los Angeles to Doha.
Air India to Chicago is 8,263 miles.
Philippine Airlines has an 8,221 mile flight from Toronto to Manila.
Singapore Airlines has an A350-900.
The flight times are affected by winds throughout the year. In order to create artificial on-time arrivals, some airlines pad their schedules more than others. There are 17 flights that are blocked.
The map is quite cluttered and you can see it here.
What are the flights that are going to break records?
A majority of the world's longest flights have been launched in the past several years, which raises the question of what other record-breaking flights might be on the horizon. The Pandemic has had a negative impact on these kinds of routes, but there are some interesting flights on the horizon.
The world's fourth longest flight, which was supposed to launch before the swine flu, has been delayed.
The world's sixth longest flight is going to be launched by Air New Zealand, but it has been delayed due to the swine flu.
Qantas Boeing 787-9.
There are some flights that have recently launched or are on the horizon that are not currently operated.
A nonstop Newark to Johannesburg flight was launched by United Airlines.
A nonstop Singapore to Seattle flight was launched by Singapore Airlines.
The Ho Chi Minh City to San Francisco flight is 7,838 miles long.
American Airlines will launch a nonstop flight from Seattle to Bangalore.
Air India already operates the route, but United Airlines plans to launch a nonstop San Francisco to Bangalore flight, which will be one of the world's longest flights.
Bamboo Airways plans to start flights from Vietnam to the United States, though it is not certain how that will play out.
Vietnam Airlines is now flying to the US.
Qantas wants to fly nonstop from Australia to London and New York, and it is the biggest thing on the horizon. It is my understanding that Qantas is still hoping to make this happen, most likely with the A350-1000.
Ultra long haul flights are being resumed as airlines rebuild their global route networks. The new long haul flights that have been launched in the past five years or so are thanks to the amazing Boeing and A350. The planes are low capacity, long range, and fuel efficient.
I can't imagine doing a nonstop flight like this in economy. I would rather break up the journey than fly nonstop. I feel like some of these flights are too long.
Which ultra long haul flight do you like the most, and what do you think will be added next?
Ben is the founder of OMAAT.
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