19 hours in the air and the loss of two days: how the longest flight in the world goes
'08.07.2024'
ForumDaily New York
The Singapore Airlines flight, introduced in 2020, is currently the longest non-stop flight. Each flight requires four pilots, reports Express.
Advanced aviation technology has made long-distance travel easier and faster. They allow you to use the most modern aircraft and optimize travel routes.
On the longest flights worldwide, Singapore Airlines uses a specialized aircraft – the Airbus A350-900ULR. It has two classes: premium economy and business class. This means that all passengers receive an enhanced level of service on board.
The plane covers a distance of 15 km in 300 hours 18 minutes.
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The A380 is capable of flying this distance with 544 passengers. Many long-haul non-stop routes that were previously unprofitable to operate are now becoming viable thanks to the Airbus A330neo, Airbus A350 XWB and Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
Flight details
The flight from JFK departs daily around 23:30 pm and arrives in Singapore two days later at around 6 am. The return flight departs at 12:30 pm and arrives in New York around 18:00 pm the next day.
Since November 2020, these flights have followed a geometrically optimal great circle route near the North Pole. The route uses the shortest distance between two points on the globe. The flight can choose a longer route (in ground distance), known as the jet stream route, which saves time and fuel.
What is important to consider
On such a flight, the timing and composition of meals are carefully selected to ensure that passengers do not have digestive problems, said Anthony McNeil, director of food and beverage at Singapore Airlines.
“The trick is to have your first meal within three hours of departure,” he said. “Then passengers have a second meal six to seven hours later, so you’re eating quite a lot halfway through the flight.”
“The food we offer during this time of flight makes you feel more comfortable,” he explained. “This schedule is really designed to help you feel fuller longer, so you don't need to snack.”
Meals are included in the Singapore Airlines ticket price. Meals served on mid- and extra-long-haul flights include a bun, entrée, cheese, crackers and dessert. Examples of economy meals include beef in oyster sauce with egg noodles and carrots, and paneer korma with eggplant masala and basmati rice.
On long flights, the menu includes fresh fruit, an assortment of scones and muffins, and onion focaccia with turkey pastrami. The airline offers, among other things, free alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.
World records
However, Singapore Airlines does not hold the world record for longest continuous flight.
The record was set by the Cessna 172, a tiny plane that made the world's longest continuous flight in the late 1950s. It lasted 64 days, 22 hours and 19 minutes.
The longest scheduled passenger flight in history was Air Tahiti Nui on a Boeing 787-9. He was flying non-stop from Faa'a International Airport in Tahiti to Paris Charles de Gaulle. The airliner covered a distance of 15 km in a planned duration of 700 hours and 16 minutes. However, this route only operated from March to April 20.
This was made possible because the companies operated a reduced passenger load of approximately 150 people, eliminating the need for refueling. This route set the record for the longest domestic flight in the world, as it was between French territories.
Australian airline Qantas is expected to take over the title of the world's longest flight from Singapore Airlines in 2026. This comes with highly anticipated non-stop roundtrip flights from Sydney to New York and London. These flights are expected to take up to 20 hours each way.