The longest scheduled nonstop flights in the world cover more than 14,000 km and keep passengers in the air for 17 to 19 hours. At the top for several years has been Singapore Airlines between Singapore and New York, at 15,341 km on the great circle. Schedules change often, so here are the long routes flown in recent years, ranked by distance.
The longest routes, by distance
| # | Route | Airline | Distance | Miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Singapore – New York | Singapore Airlines | 15,341 km | 9,532 |
| 2 | Singapore – Newark | Singapore Airlines | 15,337 km | 9,530 |
| 3 | Doha – Auckland | Qatar Airways | 14,534 km | 9,031 |
| 4 | Perth – London | Qantas | 14,508 km | 9,015 |
| 5 | Dallas-Fort Worth – Melbourne | Qantas | 14,475 km | 8,995 |
| 6 | Auckland – New York | Air New Zealand, Qantas | 14,215 km | 8,833 |
| 7 | Dubai – Auckland | Emirates | 14,199 km | 8,823 |
| 8 | Shenzhen – Mexico City | China Southern | 14,130 km | 8,780 |
| 9 | Singapore – Los Angeles | Singapore Airlines | 14,102 km | 8,762 |
| 10 | Bengaluru – San Francisco | Air India | 13,988 km | 8,692 |
Great-circle distances between the airports, from their coordinates. Real flights fly further, with winds and routing, and airlines add and drop routes; check current timetables before you plan.
What makes a flight this long possible
- Efficient twin-engine jets like the Airbus A350 and Boeing 787, which burn far less fuel per seat than the four-engine jets they replaced.
- Special versions: Singapore Airlines flies an ultra-long-range A350 with extra fuel capacity and fewer seats.
- Fewer passengers, more premium seats. Weight is everything at these distances, so cabins are often smaller and more expensive.
- Crew rest compartments and extra pilots, so the flight deck is always staffed by rested crew.
The next record: Sydney to London
Qantas has long planned nonstop flights from Sydney to London and New York, under the name Project Sunrise, with specially configured A350-1000s. Sydney to London is 17,021 km on the great circle, which would make it the longest route in the world by a wide margin. Qantas has said it expects to start the flights once the aircraft are delivered; dates have moved before, so treat any start date as provisional.
Surviving a 19-hour flight
- Set your watch to destination time at boarding, and sleep and eat on that clock.
- Walk the aisle every couple of hours, drink water, skip most of the alcohol.
- Plan your sleep: our guide to sleeping on a plane and the jet lag calculator help.
- Bring something long to work on. Hours without interruptions are rare; see why it's so easy to focus on a plane.
Fly the longest route at your desk
By the simple model our flight time calculator uses, Singapore to New York takes about 18h 59m gate to gate. In Flight that's a very long focus session. Measure any other route with the flight distance calculator.