Cathay Pacific’s 10,000+ Mile New York Flight

The long way from New York to Hong Kong is about to start.

Cathay Pacific’s New York flight problem

The invasion of Ukraine by Russia is posing a lot of challenges for airlines around the world. Airlines from many countries have been banned from using Russian airspace, while other countries are avoiding it. This is a challenge for airlines that use Russian airspace to operate long haul flights.

The longest route for Cathay Pacific is between New York and Hong Kong. Due to the ban on flights between the United States and Hong Kong, Cathay Pacific will be increasing frequencies in this market.

The airline is facing a challenge as it restarts this route. The New York to Hong Kong journey is an ultra long haul flight that is normally within range of an A350 or Boeing 777.

This route has historically taken a polar route, which involves spending a lot of time over Russian airspace. For what it's worth, airlines from Hong Kong aren't banned from using Russian airspace, but rather this is a precaution the airline has chosen to take.

The last time a Cathay Pacific plane flew from New York to Hong Kong was in March of 2022, and the plane made a fuel stop in Los Angeles.

• The flight flew from New York to Los Angeles in a flight time of 5hr16min
• The flight flew from Los Angeles to Hong Kong in a flight time of 15hr41min

The airline flew from New York to Hong Kong. The airline will change the way they operate this flight.

Cathay Pacific will fly 10,000+ miles from New York to Hong Kong

According to Danny Lee, the New York to Hong Kong flight will be taking a new approach going forward. The long way from New York to Hong Kong will be covered by the airline.

The flight will fly over the United Kingdom, Germany, and Turkey before crossing China.

The flight will only take around 16 hours, given the favorable weather this time of year. The airline will use an A350-1000 for the route, which should be able to operate as long as the winds stay strong.

Is this now the world’s longest flight?

The world's longest flight can be calculated by direct air distance between the airports, by actual distance flown between airports, or by flight time. This will be the world's longest commercial passenger flight as measured by actual distance flown.

I'm not sure if that's the case. The longest flight in the world is between Singapore and New York. The first half of the New York to Singapore flight will be the same as the first half of the Cathay Pacific flight.

Over the past week, it has covered an actual distance of between 10,547 miles and 11,008 miles. The distances between New York and Hong Kong are not as far as those distances. It won't be the longest flight in the world, unless I'm missing something.

Bottom line

The airline is facing the same challenges as other airlines in avoiding Russian airspace as it restarts regular service on its New York to Hong Kong flight. The flight from New York to Hong Kong will cover over 10,000 miles.

The flight will take only 16 hours thanks to the power of a strong jet stream.

With no end in sight to the airspace restrictions, airlines are going to face some challenges with their routes.

What do you think about the New York to Hong Kong route?