I have written dozens of tops and rankings in the aeronautical field. The most read are the top longest flights in the world. I made one ranking in 2015, TOP 15 longest flights by plane (2016) TOP 10 longest flights in the world (March 2018). And now we said to update. We have a TOP 15 longest flight in the world, by distance, valid in November 2019.
In recent years, more and more airlines have begun to launch longer and longer flights. Commercial aviation has begun to give up aircraft with 4 engines, but the new wide-body models are much more efficient and with increasing autonomy. And I remember here the A350 XWB and 787 Dreamliner aircraft family.
In addition to more efficient aircraft, the price of oil is still at its lowest levels. Thus, airlines manage to fly further and further, at lower costs and profit is growing.
TOP 15 the longest routes in the world in 2019
But let's see which are the longest routes in the world, by distance, valid in November 2019.
- Newark - Singapore / Singapore / 15,344 km / Airbus A350-900ULR
- Auckland - Doha / Qatar / 14,535 km / Boeing 777-200LR
- Perth - London / Qantas / 14,499 km / Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner
- Auckland - Dubai / Emirate / 14,200 km / Airbus A380
- Los Angeles - Singapore / Singapore / 14,113 km / Airbus A350-900ULR
- Houston - Sydney / United / 13,834 km / Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner
- Dallas - Sydney / Qantas / 13,804 km / Airbus A380
- New York - Manila / Philippine Airlines / 13,712 km / Airbus A350-900
- San Francisco - Singapore / Singapore and United / 13,593 km / Airbus A350-900 and Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner
- Johannesburg - Atlanta / Delta / 13,581 km / Boeing 777-200LR
- Abu Dhabi - Los Angeles / Etihad / 13,502 km / Boeing 777-300ER
- Dubai - Los Angeles / Emirates / 13,420 km / Airbus A380
- Jeddah - Los Angeles / Saudi / 13,409 km / Boeing 777-300ER
- Doha - Los Angeles / Qatar / 13,367 km / Boeing 777-200LR
- Toronto - Manila / Philippine Airlines / 13,230 km / Airbus A350-900
As you can see, Airbus A380 is beginning to lose ground. But more and more A350 aircraft have started to be introduced on very long flights. The ranking is led by A350-900ULR. And the family of Triple Seven aircraft has sovereignty over the number of very long routes. Unfortunately, the 787 Dreamliner failed to win, but it's not the past. Qantas managed to operate one flight of about 20 hours on the route New York - Sydney, non-stop. In time, the 15 flights range from 15 to 18 flight hours without easel.
Future very long flights with potential for operation
I should mention that only 6 of the 15 very long routes were open before 2016. Otherwise, the others were inaugurated somewhere between 2016 and 2019.
What does the future hold for us? Certainly other very long routes. I wrote about Top 10 long haul routes WITHOUT direct flights, but with potential. In April 2020, the Chicago-Brisbane route will be inaugurated. It will enter the top 5, taking into account that the distance between the 2 destinations is 8.916 miles (14.348 km). On the waiting list we also have the route Dubai - Panama City, which could be honored by Emirates. There is also a good chance that Vietnam Airlines will enter the United States market.
Airlines look to greatly reduce their flight time between 2 and long-haul destinations, but are passengers prepared?
Do you prefer to fly directly on very long routes or do you prefer the stops? What was the longest direct flight you ever experienced?