The world’s longest nonstop flights, updated

Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers.

Singapore Airlines currently operates the longest flight in the world: a whopping 9,527-mile nonstop journey from New York to Singapore. The carrier also operates a five-times-weekly hop from Newark to Singapore (which is the world’s second-longest flight by about 2 miles) as well as another extremely long journey from Los Angeles to — you guessed it — Singapore.

As the airline industry continues to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, other carriers also announced some new and interesting ultra-long-haul routes for 2022. There is a new Air New Zealand flight from New York to Auckland — which begins Saturday — and a Qantas flight from Dallas-Fort Worth to Melbourne, Australia. Additionally, another notable ultra-long-haul route — Qantas’ nonstop between London and Perth, Australia — has resumed after its pandemic-related suspension.

There are two new routes expected later this decade that would topple the current title-holders. Qantas’ “Project Sunrise” routes would see nonstop service from Sydney to both New York and London. Although the airline ran proof-of-concept tests in 2019, those flights are not expected to launch until at least 2025, so they don’t make the list right now.

So, what are the world’s longest routes? You’ve come to the right place to find out. Here are the top 10 longest routes measured by statute miles as calculated by travel data firm OAG. (Note: For consistency, all mileage calculations come courtesy of OAG. Other data providers may show slightly different mileage calculations depending on their methodology.) Duration of flight data comes from Cirium, an aviation data service.

We’ve listed the flight that typically has the longest scheduled flying time, normally the one that flies in the direction where headwinds are normal. Given geopolitical tensions associated with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, some actual flight times might be considerably longer than what is listed as airlines avoid Russian airspace. Other routes that might not normally make the cut — such as Cathay Pacific’s New York-to-Hong Kong route — are flying longer-than-normal flight paths as they also seek to avoid Russian airspace.

Additionally, keep in mind that the listed times are what the airlines block in their schedules; during actual travel, flights can be shorter or longer depending on the winds.

Scroll down to see the full list, and we’ll update it regularly as new routes begin and suspended ones resume.

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1. Singapore Airlines: John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Singapore Changi Airport (SIN)

ETHAN KLAPPER/THE POINTS GUY

Flight number: SQ 23.
Aircraft flying: Airbus A350-900ULR.
Calculated distance: 9,527 miles.
Duration of flight: 18 hours, 50 minutes.

2. Singapore Airlines: Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) to Singapore Changi Airport (SIN)

MASSIMO INSABATO/GETTY IMAGES

Flight number: SQ 21.
Aircraft flying: Airbus A350-900ULR.
Calculated distance: 9,525 miles.
Duration of flight: 18 hours, 45 minutes.

3. Qantas: Perth Airport (PER) to Heathrow Airport (LHR)

QANTAS AIRWAYS

Flight number: QF 9/10.
Aircraft flying: Boeing 787-9.
Calculated distance: 8,988 miles.
Duration of flight: 17 hours, 15 minutes.

4. Air New Zealand: John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Auckland Airport (AKL)

JAMES D. MORGAN/GETTY IMAGES

Flight numbers: NZ 1/2.
Aircraft flying: Boeing 787-9.
Calculated distance: 8,829 miles.
Duration of flight: 17 hours, 35 minutes.

5. Singapore Airlines: Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Singapore Changi Airport (SIN)

NICOLAS ECONOMOU/NURPHOTO

Flight numbers: SQ 35/37.
Aircraft flying: Airbus A350-900ULR.
Calculated distance: 8,759 miles.
Duration of flight: 17 hours, 10 minutes.

6. Qantas: Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) to Sydney Airport (SYD)

ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY

Flight number: QF 8.
Aircraft flying: Boeing 787-9.
Calculated distance: 8,576 miles.
Duration of flight: 16 hours, 45 minutes.

7. United Airlines and Singapore Airlines: San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to Singapore Changi Airport (SIN)

ZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUY

Flight number: UA 1/SQ 33.
Aircraft flying: Boeing 787-9 (UA)/A350-900 (SQ).
Calculated distance: 8,435 miles.
Duration of flight: 17 hours, 0 minutes (UA)/16 hours, 40 minutes (SQ)*.

* The difference in duration reflects different block times assigned by United and Singapore to account for taxi time on the ground and other possible delays.

8. Delta Air Lines: O.R. Tambo International Airport (JNB) to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)

JAMES D. MORGAN/GETTY IMAGES

Flight number: DL 201.
Aircraft flying: Airbus A350-900.
Calculated distance: 8,434 miles.
Duration of flight: 16 hours, 20 minutes.

9. Emirates: Dubai International Airport (DXB) to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)

ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY

Flight number: EK 215.
Aircraft flying: Airbus A380.
Calculated distance: 8,323 miles.
Duration of flight: 16 hours, 20 minutes.

10. Saudia: King Abdulaziz International Airport (JED) to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)

ALBERTO RIVA/THE POINTS GUY

Flight number: SV 41.
Aircraft flying: Boeing 777-300ER.
Calculated distance: 8,317 miles.
Duration of flight: 16 hours, 10 minutes.

Additional reporting by Zach Wichter.

Featured photo by C. v. Grinsven/Getty Images.