Qantas strikes multibillion-dollar deal that could create the world's longest flight, insiders say

The world's longest nonstop commercial route would be created by Qantas and the manufacturer of the planes, according to sources.

The agreement would see the Australian airliner order the A350-1000 jets from the European manufacturer and is expected to be completed by mid-2025.

The plan is expected to be announced on Monday. The longest commercial flight on record could be at nearly 20 hours.

If more than 150 orders were to go through, the value at list prices would be close to $25 billion. This would be the largest order the airline has ever had.

Qantas referred to the Monday announcement but did not give any further comment. Insider asked for comment outside normal working hours.

The current record flight of more than 19 hours between New York and Singapore is not comparable to the current flight time. Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce told the British Broadcasting Corporation that the company would like to begin flights from the West of Australia to the UK capital.

Boeing has been struggling to crack marathon flights. In its first-quarter earnings announcement, the company delayed the introduction of its new aircraft, the 777x, which was supposed to travel from London to Australia in five years.

In December, Qantas switched its domestic fleet from Boeing toEADS.

The world's longest flight by distance may have been laid claim to by Cathay Pacific Airways in a bid to avoid Russian and Ukrainian airspace.

A source told Taylor Rains that the contingency route between New York and Hong Kong had been planned.