OAG Travel News

After examining many of the world’s shortest flights in recent articles, the focus this week turns to the world’s longest flights.  A comprehensive list of the top 25 nonstop flights operating in November 2008 as filed in the OAG Schedule Tapes is included below.

Not surprisingly, the destinations and the airlines included in this list have changed over the past five years.  In November 2003, only six routes were over 7,500 statute miles – today there are 22.  As a result, destinations including Manila, Guangzhou, Seoul, Buenos Aires, Milan, Rome, Paris, Dallas, Tokyo and Cape Town no longer boast flights among the longest in the world.  Interestingly, the only flight from Dubai in November 2003 was service by Malaysian Airlines to Newark!  Middle Eastern carriers Emirates Airlines and Etihad Airways would not have made this list five years ago, while airlines such as Asiana, Air France, Alitalia, Korean Air, China Southern, Aerolineas Argentinas are no longer on the list. 

Flights ranked by Statute Miles
1. Dominica, West Indies – Naracoorte, Australia*
- 10,431 statute miles
- Operated by LAN Airlines on 221-seat Boeing 767 aircraft
- Once per month

2. Singapore – Newark
- 9,527 statue miles
- Operated by Singapore Airlines on 100-seat Airbus A340-500 aircraft
- Daily service
- All-business class service

3. Singapore – Los Angeles
- 8,766 statute miles
- Operated by Singapore Airlines on 100-seat Airbus A340-500 aircraft
- Daily service
- All-business class service

4. Bombay – Atlanta
- 8,492 statute miles
- Operated by Delta Air Lines on 276-seat Boeing 777-200LR aircraft
- Six flights per week

5. Los Angeles – Dubai
- 8,321 statute miles
- Operated by Emirates Airlines on 266-seat Boeing 777-200LR aircraft
- Three flights per week

6. Bangkok – Los Angeles
- 8,259 statute miles
- Operated by Thai Airways International on 215-seat Airbus A345-500 aircraft
- Five flights per week

7. Dubai – Houston
- 8,148 statute miles
- Operated by Emirates Airlines on 266-seat Boeing 777-200LR aircraft
- Daily service

8. Johannesburg – Washington, D.C. (Dulles)
- 8,130 statute miles
- Operated by South African Airways on 317-seat Airbus A340-600 aircraft
- 28 times per month
- This is the only flight in the top 25 to/from Africa

9. Hong Kong – New York (JFK)
- 8,053 statute miles
- Operated by Cathay Pacific Airways on 385-seat Boeing 777-300 aircraft
- Twice-daily service

10. Hong Kong – Newark
- 8,047 statute miles
- Operated by Continental Airlines on 283-seat Boeing 777 aircraft
- 28 times per month

11. Los Angeles – Melbourne
- 7,920 statute miles
- Operated by Qantas Airways on 379-seat Boeing 747-400 aircraft
- Daily service
- Four flights per month are operated with 495-seat Airbus A380-800 aircraft

12. Hong Kong – Toronto
- 7,790 statute miles (tie)
- Operated by two airlines:
- Air Canada on 270-seat Boeing 777-200LR aircraft – daily service
- Cathay Pacific Airways on 385-seat Boeing 777-300 aircraft – daily service

12. Bombay – Newark
- 7,790 statute miles (tie)
- Operated by Continental Airlines on 283-seat Boeing 777 aircraft
- Daily service

14. Bombay – New York (JFK)
- 7,782 statute miles
- Operated by Air India on 238-seat Boeing 777-200LR aircraft
- Daily service

15. Taipei – Newark
- 7,779 statute miles
- Operated by EVA Airways on 316-seat Boeing 777-300ER aircraft
- Three times per week

16. Hong Kong – Chicago
- 7,775 statute miles
- Operated by United Airlines on 347-seat Boeing 747-400 aircraft
- Daily service

17. Sydney – Vancouver
- 7,761 statute miles
- Operated by Air Canada on 270-seat Boeing 777-200LR aircraft
- Six times per week

18. Shanghai – Atlanta
- 7,639 statute miles
- Operated by Delta Air Lines on 261-seat Boeing 777 aircraft
- Five times per week

19. Dubai – Sao Paulo
- 7,594 statute miles
- Operated by Emirates Airlines on 266-seat Boeing 777-200LR aircraft
- Daily service
- This is the only service in the top 25 to/from South America

20. Dubai – Atlanta
- 7,579 statute miles
- Operated by Delta Air Lines on 261-seat Boeing 777 aircraft
- 28 times per month

21. Tel Aviv – Los Angeles
- 7,556 statute miles
- Operated by El Al Israel Airlines on 298-seat Boeing 777-200 aircraft
- Three times per week

22. Abu Dhabi – Sydney
- 7,505 statute miles
- Operated by Etihad Airways on two types of aircraft:
- 240-seat Airbus A340-500 aircraft – daily service
- 286-seat Airbus A340-600 aircraft – four times per week

23. Sydney – Los Angeles
- 7,489 statute miles
- Operated by two airlines:
- Qantas Airways on 379-seat Boeing 747-400 aircraft – twice-daily service
- Qantas Airlines on 495-seat Airbus A380-800 aircraft – once-weekly service
- United Airlines on 347-seat Boeing 747-400 aircraft – daily service

24. Dubai – Sydney
- 7,479 statute miles
- Operated by Emirates Airlines on 258-seat Airbus A340-500 aircraft
- Daily service

25. Chicago – Delhi
- 7,464 statute miles
- Operated by American Airlines on 247-seat Boeing 777 aircraft
- Daily service

* Needless to say, this flight piqued my curiosity!  I did additional research using various aviation databases and was unable to find this flight – and it is not bookable on LAN’s Web site.  I will provide an update in next week’s article after additional research.  Often times scheduled charter flights are included in the schedule tapes, and

Source: Official Airline Guide (OAG) Schedule Tapes; Only flights in November 2008; Aircraft types as listed in OAG Schedule Tapes; For less than daily service, weekly numbers are rounded to the nearest whole number; minor differences in directionality not specifically noted

Story By: Laura Jackson.

OAG contributor Laura Jackson was just two weeks old when she took her first flight on Piedmont Airlines.  In junior high school, she developed a business plan for her own airline.  Today she manages strategy and policy issues at one of the world's busiest airports and provides original content and aviation industry analysis for OAG.