What is the record for the longest direct flight in the world?

1. The World's Longest Flight: New York (JFK) to Singapore Changi (SIN) New York John F Kennedy Airport – Singapore Changi is currently the longest commercial flight it is possible to book. At 15,332km, this route has been at the top of the table since 2021, and takes an average of 18 hours and 40 minutes to complete.



As of early 2026, the record for the world's longest commercial direct flight is held by Singapore Airlines Flight SQ23 (and its return SQ24) between Singapore Changi and New York JFK. This massive journey covers approximately 9,537 miles (15,349 km) and takes between 18 and 19 hours depending on wind conditions. It is operated by the Airbus A350-900ULR (Ultra Long Range), which is configured with only Premium Economy and Business Class seats to reduce weight and extend range. However, the aviation world is currently awaiting the launch of Qantas' "Project Sunrise" flights, which are expected to begin in late 2026 or early 2027. These flights will connect Sydney and Melbourne directly to London and New York, pushing the flight time to over 20 hours and the distance to over 10,500 miles. These ultra-long-haul missions represent the absolute frontier of aerospace engineering, requiring specialized fuel management and cabin features like "well-being zones" to help passengers survive nearly a full day in the air without a stopover.

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Theoretically it is possible but even a supersonic jet would be hindered by factors such as speed restrictions and in-flight refuelling.

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  • The World's Longest Flight: New York (JFK) to Singapore Changi (SIN) ...
  • Newark Liberty International (EWR) to Singapore Changi (SIN) ...
  • Perth (PER) – London Heathrow (LHR) ...
  • Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) – Melbourne (MEL) ...
  • Auckland International (AKL) – New York (JFK) ...
  • Auckland International (AKL) – Dubai International (DXB)


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The Loganair Westray to Papa Westray route is the shortest scheduled passenger flight in the world. Flights on the route are scheduled for one and a half minutes, and actual flying time is closer to one minute. The record for the fastest flight is 53 seconds.

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For flights landing at U.S. airports, airlines are required to provide passengers with an opportunity to safely get off of the airplane before 3 hours for domestic flights and 4 hours for international flights.

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The record-breaking flights will take place on Airbus A350-1000s, the airline industry's largest wide-body aircraft. In 20 hours, you could bicycle the entire 200 miles from Baltimore, Maryland, to New York City (and maybe even have a couple hours to spare).

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The Boeing 777-200LR holds the world record for the longest non-stop flight without refueling with a flight distance of 11,664 nautical miles (21,601.7 km). The 777-300ER, which is the most popular variant, has a range of 14,490 kilometers (7,825 nautical miles).

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The simple answer is yes, pilots do, and are allowed to sleep during flight but there are strict rules controlling this practice. Pilots would only normally sleep on long haul flights, although sleep on short haul flights is permitted to avoid the effects of fatigue.

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Starting in late 2025, Australian flag carrier Qantas Airways will launch the world's longest nonstop route from Australia's Sydney Airport to London's Heathrow Airport, an effort Qantas has dubbed Project Sunrise.

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Ryanair's longest route FR6121 departs Poland at 07:00 and arrives at noon local time, a 6h block time. After just a 35-minute turnaround, including refueling, FR6122 leaves at 12:35 and returns at 19:20. That is a very long day even before including the crew's pre-flight and post-flight duties.

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The first and fastest solo non-stop flight around the world was completed in 2005 by Steve Fossett using a special plane, the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer. The trip was sponsored by Richard Branson and Steve Fosset completed it in just 67 hours.

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The Loganair Westray to Papa Westray route is the shortest scheduled passenger flight in the world. Flights on the route are scheduled for one and a half minutes, and actual flying time is closer to one minute. The record for the fastest flight is 53 seconds.

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Every day, some 93,000 flights take off from approximately 9,000 airports. At any given time, there are between 8,000 and 13,000 airplanes in the air.

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Long haul flights must have two or three pilots on board.
If there are three pilots on board one will be the captain who flies the plane, the second will be the first officer or co-pilot. The third pilot is the flight engineer.

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Long-Haul Flight FAQs Long-haul flights are extremely safe. Long-haul flights are often operated by big worldwide commercial airlines that undergo security and safety protocols to the highest standard.

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Slowest aircraft The MacCready Gossamer Condor is a human-powered aircraft capable of flight as slow as 8 miles per hour (13 km/h). Its successor, the MacCready Gossamer Albatross can fly as slow as 9.23 miles per hour (14.85 km/h).

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The shortest commercial flight in the world is a 1.7-mile route between two Scottish islands. The flight between Westray and Papa Westray near the mainland of Orkney lasts just 57 seconds. It is used by local islanders and even the local banker.

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The shortest distance the flight covered was just six minutes and remained at Long Beach Airport. It's not yet known whether Musk was on the flight and took it for a six-minute ride. The movement is most possibly the pilot repositioning the plane, since the data shows it remained at the airport.

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