There’s a noticeable trend in the airline industry over the past few years towards ultra long haul flights. While many of these long-haul flights wouldn’t have been possible only a few years ago, airlines now seem to be competing to offer the longest, ultra long haul flights available.
If you’re interested in knowing more about ultra long haul flights, our blog is a great place to start! We’ll look at how ultra long haul flights are possible, how much distance the longest flights in the world cover, and what might be on the horizon for long haul flights in the future.
How Are Ultra Long Haul Flights Possible?
While ultra long haul flights may have previously been possible, they weren’t necessarily profitable. Thanks to recent developments in aircraft technology, leading to top-performing aircrafts such as the Airbus A350 and Boeing 787, the ultra long haul flight is now a profitable operation. Nine of the 15 world’s longest flights have been in operation since 2016, showing how the ultra long haul flight trend has boomed in recent years.
Fuel efficient and offering quite a low capacity, flights such as these wouldn’t previously have been possible without a huge cost to the airline - while the price of oil is still changeable on a global scale, there’s also an increasingly large demand for ultra long haul flights between business centres around the world.
How Do You Measure the Longest Flights In The World?
With new ultra long haul flights being added all the time, the list of the longest flights in the world is ever-changing. The best way to measure the longest flights in the world is by distance - though usually, we’re more interested to know the flight times! In 2019, the 15 longest flights in the world rack up between 15 hours to just short of 19 hours each depending on weather conditions.
The problem with measuring by time is that winds can have a big impact on flight durations, and some airlines pad their schedules to appear longer, so it’s best to measure the current 15 longest flights in the world using distance to avoid inaccuracy.
The 15 Longest Global Flights
Covering over 8,200 each at least, the 15 longest flights in the world make for an impressive list - we’ve started with the longest flight first!
| Flight Path |
Airline |
Distance Covered |
Aircraft |
| Newark to Singapore |
Singapore |
9,534 miles |
Airbus A350-900ULR |
| Auckland to Doha |
Qatar |
9,032 miles |
Boeing 777-200LR |
| Perth to London |
Qantas |
9,010 miles |
Boeing 787-9 |
| Auckland to Dubai |
Emirates |
8,824 miles |
Airbus A380 |
| Los Angeles to Singapore |
Singapore |
8,770 miles |
Airbus A350-900ULR |
| Houston to Sydney |
United |
8,596 miles |
Boeing 787-9 |
| Dallas to Sydney |
Qantas |
8,578 miles |
Airbus A380 |
| New York to Manila |
Philippine Airlines |
8,520 miles |
Airbus A350-900 |
| San Fransisco to Singapore |
Singapore & United |
8,446 miles |
Airbus A350-900 & Boeing 787-9 |
| Johannesburg to Atlanta |
Delta |
8,439 miles |
Boeing 777-200LR |
| Abu Dhabi to Los Angeles |
Etihad |
8,390 miles |
Boeing 777-300ER |
| Dubai to Los Angeles |
Emirates |
8,339 miles |
Airbus A380 |
| Jeddah to Los Angeles |
Saudia |
8,332 miles |
Boeing 777-300ER |
| Doha to Los Angeles |
Qatar |
8,306 miles |
Boeing 777-200LR |
| Toronto to Manila |
Philippine Airlines |
8,221 miles |
Airbus A350-900 |
What Might Be Next For Ultra Long Haul Flights?
With the popularity of ultra long haul flights increasing rapidly, more ultra long haul flights are being launched all the time. The top two current longest flights have been launched in the past year, which means that even more ultra long haul flights may be coming very soon.
While nothing has been officially announced, there are discussions within global airlines that suggest more ultra long haul flights could be developed soon. Of those that are known to be under consideration by airlines, as well as those that are actually possible, here are the ultra long haul flights we expect to see in the next few years:
| Flight Path |
Airline |
Distance Covered |
| Perth to Paris |
Qantas |
8,863 miles |
| Brisbane to Chicago |
Qantas |
8,901 miles |
| Brisbane to Dallas |
Qantas |
8,303 miles |
| Dubai to Panama City |
Emirates |
8,588 miles |
| Seattle to Thailand |
Thai Airways |
Not yet confirmed |
| Vietnam to Los Angeles |
Vietnam Airlines |
Not yet confirmed |
What Drawbacks Do Ultra Long Haul Flights Face?
So what’s holding these ultra long haul flights back? In some cases, the technology simply isn’t possible yet - but it is in development. It’s predicted that by 2022 the Boeing 777-8 will be in active service which many airlines anticipate will be able to cover nonstop ultra long haul flight routes such as Sydney to London and New York.
The other issue with ultra long haul flights is consumer willingness to firstly afford the costs of a non-stop flight over several shorter flights, and also their willingness to stay on these long haul flights without a break. Even in a premium or business class cabin, passengers struggle with comfort issues during long haul flights which may mean it’s simply not an appealing option to the masses, especially those who would want to fly in economy to suit their budget.
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