The 19 Longest Nonstop Flights In The World

Over the past decade we have seen an increase in the number of new ultra long haul flights. The increase in border restrictions and the decrease in business travel caused the trend to be reversed for a couple of years.

It seems that we are turning a corner when it comes to travel demand, and we are starting to see airlines resume long haul flights. In recent weeks we have seen two new ultra long haul flights announced.

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.

Why ultra long haul flights are more practical than ever

Why have we seen so many long haul flights? New aircraft technology is the main factor. In the past decade, the A350 and Boeing 787 have become the workhorses of many carriers, and are great for airlines and passengers.

• The planes are ultra long range, and can operate some nonstop flights that previous generation aircraft couldn’t
• The planes have lower capacity than previous generation aircraft (like the Boeing 747), which opens up more viable markets; it’s much easier to profitably fill 200 seats than it is to profitably fill 400 seats
• The planes have great economics, and per-passenger fuel burn is significantly 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 could have never been profitable now make sense.

Global aviation came to a standstill during the Pandemic, but it is starting to recover, with more and more airlines resuming ultra long haul flights. 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. Let's take a look at the longest flights.

The list is based on direct air distance between city pairs, since Russian airspace issues are causing airlines to operate circuitous routes. Since winds can affect the duration of flights, I think distance is a better metric.

I will be counting flights that are currently operating, or that are expected to be launched or resumed before the end of 2022, based on current schedules. All of the flights are over 8,200 miles, which is a long way to go nonstop.

What are the world's longest flights? Here they are, starting with the longest, including the airline that operates the route, the distance, and the aircraft type used.

1. New York (JFK) to Singapore (SIN) / Singapore Airlines / 9,537 miles / Airbus A350-900ULR
2. Newark (EWR) to Singapore (SIN) / Singapore Airlines / 9,523 miles / Airbus A350-900ULR
3. Perth (PER) to London (LHR) / Qantas / 9,010 miles / Boeing 787-9 (resumes June 19, 2022)
4. Dallas (DFW) to Melbourne (MEL) / Qantas / 8,992 miles / Boeing 787-9 (launches December 2, 2022)
5. New York (JFK) to Auckland (AKL) / Air New Zealand / 8,828 miles / Boeing 787-9 (launches September 17, 2022)
6. Auckland (AKL) to Dubai (DXB) / Emirates / 8,824 miles / Boeing 777-200LR (resumes December 2, 2022)
7. Los Angeles (LAX) to Singapore (SIN) / Singapore Airlines / 8,770 miles / Airbus A350-900ULR
8. San Francisco (SFO) to Bangalore (BLR) / Air India / 8,701 miles / Boeing 777-200LR
9. Darwin (DRW) to London (LHR) / Qantas / 8,620 miles / Boeing 787-9
10. Houston (IAH) to Sydney (SYD) / United Airlines / 8,596 miles / Boeing 787-9 (resumes October 28, 2022)
11. Dallas (DFW) to Sydney (SYD) / Qantas / 8,578 miles / Boeing 787-9
12. New York (JFK) to Manila (MNL) / Philippine Airlines / 8,520 miles / Airbus A350-900
13. San Francisco (SFO) to Singapore (SIN) / Singapore Airlines & United Airlines / 8,446 miles / Airbus A350-900 & Boeing 787-9
14. Johannesburg (JNB) to Atlanta (ATL) / Delta / 8,439 miles / Airbus A350-900
15. Dubai (DXB) to Los Angeles (LAX) / Emirates / 8,339 miles / Airbus A380
16. Jeddah (JED) to Los Angeles (LAX) / Saudia / 8,332 miles / Boeing 777-300ER (resumes April 25, 2022)
17. Doha (DOH) to Los Angeles (LAX) / Qatar Airways / 8,306 miles / Airbus A350-1000
18. Hyderabad (HYD) to Chicago (ORD) / Air India / 8,263 miles / Boeing 777-200LR
19. Toronto (YYZ) to Manila (MNL) / Philippine Airlines / 8,221 miles / Airbus 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 19 flights that are blocked.

There is a map with all the routes, which is quite cluttered.

What record-breaking flights are on the horizon?

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 launch of Air New Zealand's Auckland to New York flight is one of the most exciting recent developments.

There are other things on the horizon.

There are some flights that have recently launched or are on the horizon that are not currently operated.

• United Airlines launched a nonstop Newark to Johannesburg flight, which covers a distance of 7,989 miles
• Singapore Airlines launched a nonstop Singapore to Seattle flight, which covers a distance of 8,073 miles
• Vietnam Airlines launched a Ho Chi Minh City to San Francisco flight, which covers a distance of 7,838 miles
• American Airlines plans to launch a nonstop Seattle to Bangalore flight, which will cover a distance of 8,078 miles
• United Airlines plans to launch a nonstop San Francisco to Bangalore flight, which will be one of the world’s longest flights, at 8,701 miles (though Air India already operates the route)
• Bamboo Airways plans to launch flights from Vietnam to the United States, though it’s anyone’s guess how exactly that plays out, and which route will be operated

As airlines rebuild their global route networks, we are seeing the introduction of some new ones. We've seen a lot of new long haul flights launched in the past five years or so, thanks to how amazing the Boeing and A350 are. 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 in business class.

Which ultra long haul flight do you like the most, and what do you think will be added next?