Ultra-long-haul flights: the longest nonstop routes and the technology behind them

Departure in Singapore, landing in New York – in between, almost 19 hours without the landing gear touching the ground once. Ultra-long-haul flights are the premier discipline of scheduled air travel: they demand aircraft with enormous range, crews with their own sleep rhythm and airlines that calculate exactly whether every single seat pays off. This article shows you which routes are the longest in the world today, what technology is behind them and where you can best catch the record-breakers as a spotter.

What counts as ultra-long-haul?

There is no official threshold. The industry has settled on calling nonstop flights with a scheduled duration of more than about 16 hours ultra-long-haul – roughly equivalent to distances from about 13,000 to 14,000 kilometers. The kilometer figure alone doesn’t say much, though: depending on the wind, the same route can take two hours longer in one direction than in the other.

The difference between nonstop and direct flight is important. A direct flight keeps its flight number but may stop along the way. Ultra-long-haul refers exclusively to true nonstop routes, where the aircraft flies through from takeoff to landing. Rankings usually measure the great-circle distance, i.e. the shortest line on the globe. The distance actually flown is usually longer, because airways, restricted areas and wind optimization force detours. Why flight paths look so oddly curved on the map is explained in the article Why airplanes fly in arcs.

The longest nonstop routes in the world

The table below shows a selection of the longest scheduled routes, sorted by great-circle distance. Distances and flight times are rounded, and the flight times refer to the longer direction in each case. The data is as of October 2026 – aircraft types and schedules change regularly, so always check the current schedule before a spotting session.

Route	Airline	Distance (great circle)	Flight time approx.	Typical aircraft	Since
Singapore – New York JFK	Singapore Airlines	about 15,350 km	just under 19 h	A350-900ULR	2020
Singapore – Newark	Singapore Airlines	about 15,340 km	a good 19 h	A350-900ULR	2018, again since 2022
Auckland – Doha	Qatar Airways	about 14,540 km	a good 17 h	Boeing 777-200LR	2017
Perth – London Heathrow	Qantas	about 14,500 km	about 17.5 h	Boeing 787-9	2018
Dallas/Fort Worth – Melbourne	Qantas	about 14,470 km	almost 18 h	widebody jet	–
Perth – Paris CDG	Qantas	about 14,260 km	a good 17 h	Boeing 787-9	2024
New York JFK – Auckland	Air New Zealand, Qantas	about 14,200 km	almost 18 h	Boeing 787-9	2022/2023
Auckland – Dubai	Emirates	about 14,200 km	a good 17 h	Airbus A380	2016

It stands out how many routes link Australia, New Zealand or Southeast Asia with North America and Europe. That is no coincidence: the greatest distances that a scheduled airliner can still bridge lie between these regions. The special case of Air Tahiti Nui is also interesting: in spring 2020, the airline briefly flew Papeete–Paris without its usual fuel stop in Los Angeles – at over 15,700 kilometers, on paper the longest scheduled passenger route ever flown, though only for a few weeks.

A brief look back

Ultra-long routes existed long before the A350 and 787 – just with far more effort. Some milestones:

• Boeing 747SP: The shortened 747 was built specifically for range. Pan Am used it in the 1980s to fly nonstop between Sydney and Los Angeles. You can find more on the variant in the profile of the Boeing 747SP.
• Airbus A340-500: In 2004, Singapore Airlines opened the Singapore–Newark route with this four-engine jet and held the record for years. Toward the end, the aircraft flew with business class seats only, and the route was discontinued in 2013. Details on the type are in the profile of the Airbus A340-500.
• Boeing 777-200LR: The “Worldliner” made ultra-long-haul with two engines a routine matter and is still in service at a few airlines today, for example with Qatar Airways on the Auckland route. More in the profile of the Boeing 777-200LR.
• Kangaroo Route: In 2018, Qantas linked Australia and Europe on a scheduled nonstop flight for the first time with QF9 Perth–London.

By the way, the record for the longest time in the air on a commercial passenger flight is held by a flying boat: during World War II, Qantas operated Catalina flying boats between Perth and Ceylon, with some flights lasting more than 30 hours.

The technology: where does the range come from?

Range is not a single component but a compromise between four factors: how much fuel fits in, how heavy the aircraft may be at takeoff, how efficient the engines are – and how much payload has to stay at home as a result.

Fuel and takeoff weight

The A350-900ULR is a good example. Airbus modified the fuel system so that the existing tanks can be filled further. Capacity rises from about 141,000 to about 165,000 liters – without any extra tanks in the cargo hold. At the same time, the maximum takeoff weight was raised to 280 tonnes. The result: a range of about 18,000 kilometers and flights of up to about 19 hours. On the ULR variant, the forward cargo hold is deactivated but can be reactivated. Singapore Airlines took delivery of the first aircraft in September 2018. How the A350 is built in general is described in the profile of the Airbus A350-900.

For Project Sunrise, Airbus goes a step further with the larger A350-1000: the ULR version gets an additional rear center tank of about 20,900 liters, which the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has approved.

Fewer seats, more premium

Every kilogram an aircraft has to carry costs disproportionately more fuel over 18 hours – after all, the fuel for the last hours has to be hauled along from the very beginning. That is why ultra-long-haul flights operate with strikingly few seats. Singapore Airlines’ first A350-900ULR had 161 seats, split into 67 business class and 94 premium economy seats, and there was initially no regular economy at all. This only pays off if enough business travelers are willing to pay for the time saved compared with a connecting itinerary.

Two engines instead of four

Modern ultra-long-haul flights are operated almost exclusively by twinjets. Efficient engines and the ETOPS rules make that possible; they set how far a twin-engine aircraft may be from a diversion airport. On routes across the Pacific or over polar regions, this is a key planning factor. You can find the background in ETOPS explained.

Wind and route

On the Northern Hemisphere, a flight from east to west often fights the jet stream, while in the other direction it pushes the aircraft along. That is why the block times of the same route often differ by an hour or more. Airlines plan the route anew every day and choose different paths depending on the weather – sometimes across the North Pacific, sometimes closer to polar regions. For ultra-long-haul this is especially critical: with extreme headwinds, a route in winter may only be feasible with fewer passengers or less cargo.

People on board: crew and passengers

The real challenge of a 19-hour route is not the aircraft but the people. In the cockpit, an augmented crew flies, usually two complete crews who take turns according to a fixed plan. For rest periods there are separate crew rest areas with bunks – for pilots near the cockpit, for the cabin crew usually above or below the cabin. Airlines work with fatigue management programs that systematically account for duty times, time zones and sleep phases.

For passengers, too, the flight is set up differently from a normal long-haul flight. Typical building blocks are:

• Light as a pacemaker: Cabin lighting and meal times follow the destination time zone rather than the clock at the departure airport.
• Lighter meals: Many airlines rely on dishes that disturb sleep less.
• Movement: Qantas has announced a dedicated area for stretching and moving in the Sunrise cabin. As early as 2019, the airline used research flights with Boeing 787-9s to test how passengers and crews respond to about 19 hours.
• Cabin climate: Modern long-haul jets like the A350 and 787 operate with a lower cabin altitude and higher humidity than older types. You can find background on this in Cabin air explained and Cabin pressure and ear pressure.

If you fly an ultra-long-haul route yourself, you should prepare for the time change. The article Avoiding jet lag collects practical tips.

Project Sunrise: the next record

Since 2017, Qantas has been pursuing the goal of linking Sydney nonstop with London and New York. In 2019, the airline flew two research flights with the Boeing 787-9 for this: New York–Sydney in a good 19 hours and London–Sydney in about 19 hours 20 minutes. At the end of 2019, the choice fell on the A350-1000, and in 2022 Qantas ordered twelve aircraft. The pandemic pushed the originally planned start back by several years.

In July 2026, the A350-1000ULR completed a test flight from Toulouse to Melbourne in a good 19 hours. As things stand (October 2026), Sydney–London is announced for October 2027, with Sydney–New York following from mid-2028, according to Qantas. If the routes start as announced, they will replace Singapore Airlines’ current front-runners. Because schedules in aviation like to slip, it is worth keeping an eye on the latest news from the Qantas Group.

Where to spot ultra-long-haul flights

Ultra-long-haul flights usually operate daily or several times a week at fairly stable times of day. That makes them easy for spotters to plan for. The most important hubs:

• London Heathrow: This is where the Qantas 787 from Perth lands. At London Heathrow Airport, Hatton Cross is a good choice for landings, and more tips are in the Heathrow guide.
• New York JFK and Newark: Endpoints of the Singapore Airlines record routes and the Auckland routes. At New York JFK Airport, the TWA Hotel is a popular vantage point; more in the New York guide. For the second route, take a look at Newark Airport.
• Singapore Changi: Home base of the A350-900ULR. Info on Singapore Changi Airport and on spotting in Singapore.
• Sydney: Home of Qantas and starting point of Project Sunrise. At Sydney Airport, Shep’s Mound is a classic.
• Dallas/Fort Worth and Paris CDG: Further endpoints of the Qantas long-haul routes; at Dallas/Fort Worth Airport, Founders’ Plaza is a good option, and in Paris the CDG guide helps.

When the big long-haul flights typically arrive and depart in Europe is summarized in the article Long-haul arrival times in Europe. You can follow the aircraft live via ADS-B services – on an ultra-long-haul route this is especially exciting, because you see which route the crew chose that day.

What to keep in mind

• Record lists go out of date quickly. Airlines launch routes, discontinue them or swap aircraft. Check the current status before every plan.
• Distance is not the same as flight time. The longest route in kilometers doesn’t have to be the longest in hours – wind and routing shuffle the order.
• The variant is only certain from the registration. Whether an A350 is a ULR is revealed by the registration, not the silhouette.
• Cargo and seats are variable, too. With strong headwinds, airlines can block seats or reduce cargo to make the range work.

Conclusion

Ultra-long-haul flights are a balancing act: maximum range against minimum payload, premium revenue against high fuel costs, technology against human limits. Today, Singapore Airlines leads the ranking with its A350-900ULR routes to New York and Newark, followed by Qatar Airways, Qantas, Air New Zealand and Emirates. With Project Sunrise, the next leap is coming. For spotters, the record-breakers are a rewarding target – plannable, rare enough to be special, and with a story you can see in every photo.