Emirates
ROUTE Dubai to Panama City
FLIGHTDURATION 17hr 35min
FLIGHT NUMBER EK251
LAUNCH Feb 1, 2016
AIRCRAFT B777-200LR
INFO Announced on August 13 (see here), Emirate’s Dubai to Panama service will supplant Qantas’ existing Sydney to Dallas route as the world’s longest non-stop flight. The distance between Dubai and Panama is an astonishing 8,600 miles, though the actual flight distance is expected to be even longer, as Emirates will avoid flying through Iraq and Syria due to ongoing conflicts.
Qantas
ROUTE Dallas to Sydney
FLIGHT DURATION 16hr 50min
FLIGHT NUMBER QF8
LAUNCH Sep 29, 2014
AIRCRAFT A380-800
INFO The flight of almost 17 hours travels across 8,578 miles and makes Qantas the only carrier to operate direct services from Australia to Dallas. The route has actually been running since May 2011, but was previously served by a B747. The new A380 aircraft is fitted with first, business, premium economy, and economy cabins and according to the airline, carries the equivalent of eight swimming pools worth of fuel (323,000 litres).
Delta Air Lines
ROUTE Johannesburg to Atlanta
FLIGHT DURATION 16hr 40min
FLIGHT NUMBER DL201
LAUNCH Jun 3, 2009
AIRCRAFT B777-200LR
INFO This 8,439 mile flight, which has been operating the longest out of this list, is approximately 30 minutes shorter during the winter season due to the difference in prevailing winds.
Etihad Airways
ROUTE Abu Dhabi to Los Angeles
FLIGHT DURATION 16hr 30min
FLIGHT NUMBER EY171
LAUNCH Jun 1, 2014
AIRCRAFT B777-200LR
INFO Three cabins: first, business, and economy are offered for the 8,390-mile journey. The B777-200LR boasts the longest range of any commercial aircraft currently in production (10,811miles). By comparison, the A340 (which was used on the world’s longest route ever - see below) offers a max range of only 10,000 miles.
Emirates
ROUTE Dubai to Los Angeles
FLIGHT DURATION 16hr 35min
FLIGHT NUMBER EK215
LAUNCH Dec 3, 2013
AIRCRAFT A380-800
INFO Emirates’ flight from Dubai to Los Angeles crosses the Russian Federation, the North Pole and Eastern Canada before touching down at Los Angeles International Airport. With a total distance of 8,339 miles, EK215 was the longest A380 flight when it launched in December 2013, but Qantas’ Dallas to Sydney now holds that glory, having introduced the superjumbo onto the flight in September 2014.
HONOURABLE MENTION
Singapore Airlines
ROUTE Newark to Singapore
FLIGHT DURATION 18hr 50 min
FLIGHT NUMBER SQ21
LAUNCH Jun 28, 2004
FINAL FLIGHT Nov 23, 2013
AIRCRAFT A340-500
INFO The cancellation of flight SQ21 was truly a shame given that SIA held the record for the longest non-stop flight ever – bar none. Clocking in at nearly 19 hours, the flight from Newark to Singapore could only be achieved by the ultra-long range A340-500. Unfortunately, the A340 was well known for being a fuel guzzler (it required 222,000 litres of fuel – 10 times the weight of the passengers!), and SIA retired that aircraft model on November 2013 as the route became commercially unviable.
However, recent news (see here) has confirmed that the airline is working with Airbus to develop a long-range variant of the A350-900, which would enable it to relaunch non-stop flights to the US. SIA may yet reclaim its crown!
Clement Huang & Joyce Lau
