What are the longest airline routes in the world? It's a question I get frequently at Today in the Sky, so I reached out to the folks at OAG to help us list the longest flights for 2016. And that list has just been updated with the latest ultra long-haul route launched by United.
OAG, of course, is a top airline data provider, but they also specialize in airline schedules. OAG provided Today in the Sky with the world’s 25 longest regularly scheduled flights (by distance) on the books as of June 1, 2016. That's the date United launched its new San Francisco-Singapore service, a route that jumps up to No. 3 in the updated rankings of long-haul flights.
You can see the full list in the above gallery, starting at the bottom – a tie for No. 25 between Newark-Mumbai and New York JFK-Taipei – and going the whole way through to No. 1: Dubai-Auckland.
Emirates' Dubai-Auckland route launched just March 1, bumping the previous title holder – Qantas’ Dallas/Fort Worth-Sydney flight – to No. 2.
Another route that's received a lot of press -- Qatar Airways' planned route from Doha to Auckland -- is not included because it has not yet launched. The carrier has said the route will launch in December, though it is not yet selling tickets for it. If the route launches, it would become the world's longest flight by distance.
But even that route's stay at the top could be short-lived. Singapore Airlines said it plans to resume nonstop service from Singapore to New York as it takes delivery of more of its new Airbus A350 jets. Singapore Air has not yet detailed a specific launch plan, thought that would come as soon as this summer.
One shake-up that failed to materialize was Emirates' planned route between Dubai and Panama City. That route -- which once appeared as if it would briefly hold the "world's longest" title -- ultimately was indefinitely "postponed" just four weeks before it was supposed to begin.
As for the details of our latest list, it was compiled with flights operating as of the first week of June 2016. The list of "longest" flights is based on the mileage of the flights flown. The listed "block times" of the flights are included in the list, but our rankings are based solely on distance.
One notable flight not appearing on our Top 25 list is Air India's San Francisco-New Delhi flight. The U.S.-bound leg of the flight is scheduled for 17 hours, which would make it one of the world's longest by scheduled flight time. However, at 7,690 miles (according to OAG), it ranks only at No. 30 worldwide based on distance.
We’ll team up with OAG to update our list of world’s longest flights by the end of the year -- when perhaps Qatar will have begun its Doha-Auckland route. But, for now, you can click through the above gallery to see the world’s 25 longest flights as of early June 2016.
Enjoy!
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