Only a few folks get pleasure from having to switch flights over the comfort of a continuous service, however how far are you keen to go to keep away from a switch? Xiamen Air not too long ago staked a declare to the world’s longest continuous flight. The twice-a-week service from John F. Kennedy Worldwide Airport in New York Metropolis to Fuzhou Changle Worldwide Airport in Fuzhou, China is nineteen hours and 20 minutes lengthy. The brand new document holder is just ten minutes longer than the earlier mark, Singapore Airways’ service from Newark to Singapore.
The Xiamen Air service is not precisely new. The JFK-to-Fuzhou flight was launched in 2017, reduce in 2020 and relaunched in 2024. Nonetheless, it’s now scheduled to final over 19 hours. In response to Easy Flying, the avoidance of Russian airspace for the reason that nation’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine is partly responsible. The 8,400-mile route can be 635 miles shorter if the Chinese language provider used a extra direct nice circle route. Nonetheless, you would not wish to probability sending a aircraft over the Arctic from the US in direction of Russia.
Airways are planning new record-breaking routes
Xiamen Air would possibly solely maintain the document for just a few years. Qantas introduced Mission Dawn, its effort to launch continuous flights linking Australia’s East Coast with main cities in Europe and North America. The Australian flag provider examined a 19-hour, 30-minute flight from JFK to Sydney with a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner in 2019. Nonetheless, Qantas’ plan is reliant on Airbus producing the planes wanted for normal service. The identical yr, the airline positioned an order for 12 Airbus A350-1000ULR. Sure, ULR as in ultra-long vary. In response to Skift, developmental delays and provide chain points have pushed again supply to late 2026. Qantas goals to launch its JFK-to-Sydney service in 2027.
Whereas Qantas is anticipated to take the document, it may not as a consequence of how the document is usually decided. The scheduled block time is the accepted measure, not the common time of the flights flown. For instance, Xiamen Air’s flights from JFK to Fuzhou are roughly 17 hours lengthy, far shorter than the scheduled time. Block time usually consists of buffer time for potential delays and different unexpected circumstances. Solely time will inform if Qantas can declare this superlative in two years.