flight AI173 Air India (Delhi-San Francisco), which was operated on 16 October 2016, has entered the Record Book. The longest non-stop commercial flight was designated. This was made possible by changing the direction of flight.
Air India decided to operate the flight Delhi-San Francisco across the Pacific Ocean. Thus, the route is 1400 kilometers longer than the one operated over the Atlantic Ocean. the 15 140 miles were crossed in 14 hours and 30 minutes.
According to a ranking oag.com of the longest flights in the world, the longest non-stop 14526 kilometer operated route was on the Auckland International Airport (AKL) - Doha International Airport (DOH) route.
READ: Top 10 fastest commercial flights from aviation history
5 things to know about the new Air India flight record
1. AI173 flight departed at 04: 00 (local time), October 16, from Delhi and landed at San Francisco, at 06: 30 (local time), on 16 October 2016.
2. It flew over the Pacific Ocean, on a longer 1400 kilometer route than the Atlantic Ocean flight. 15140 miles in 14 hours and 30 minutes.
3. Despite flying a longer distance, the time was shorter by 2 hours. This was possible due to tailwinds - winds blowing in the same direction as the flight - and 13 tonnes of fuel were saved.
4. The commander of this flight, Rajneesh Sharma, said that Air India will fly on this route in the next 6 months. The crew included Captain Gautam Verma, Captain MA Khan and Captain SM Palekar.
5. The record flight marked the anniversary of 84's Air India years.
Currently, 3 operates weekly flights with Boeing 777-200LR aircraft. From November, Air India will operate 6 direct flights on the Delhi-San Francisco route.
As you can see in the image above, the return flight (San Francisco - Delhi) is operated over the Atlantic Ocean (polar route).