The 15 Longest Flights in the World

Every time you take an international flight, it may feel like the longest flight in the world. However, there are certain flights connecting far-flung parts of the world that really are record-breakers in terms of length. Here are the longest flights you can take in the world.

One of the miracles of modern aviation is that airplanes can now fly over vast oceans and continental landmasses without stopping to refuel. The result is flights connecting far-apart destinations, such as East Asia and the United States, Australia and the Middle East, that last upwards of 15 hours. 

Airlines are evolving their offerings to accommodate passengers on such long-haul flights with comfier seats and plenty of room even in economy class. However, taking any one of these flights is still a feat of endurance, especially if you are afraid of flying.

Some promotional flights, such as the “Project Sunrise” test flight from London to Sydney in 2019, were longer than the ones on this list. Other proposed routes, such as changes to the Hong Kong-New York flight that will avoid Russian airspace and a proposed flight from London to Sydney will be longer than these as well. However, this list focuses on current, commercially available flight routes ranked by great-circle distance.

The Philippine Airlines-operated flight from Manila to Toronto is one of the longest in the world no matter which metrics you use to measure it. According to great-circle distance, which is the shortest distance between two points on a sphere measured along the surface, the Manila to Toronto flight traverses 13,230 km and takes about 15 hours and 30 minutes.

The return flight now takes much longer because many North America-East Asia flights had to reroute to avoid Russian airspace due to the war (Previously, airplanes would fly over the Arctic Circle to shorten the distance, including over Russian Arctic territory.). Now, the Toronto to Manila flight is no longer direct because planes have to stop in Vancouver for refueling.  

There is a sizable community of Filipinos living and working in Canada, and many of the people taking this flight are members of this diaspora.

One of the longest flights in the world is also one of the newest routes. Air India only began operating its direct flight to Chicago/O’Hare from Hyderabad in January 2021. The great circle distance is 13,301 kilometers, and the flight takes about 16 hours and 45 minutes.

There are a lot of similarities between Chicago and Hyderabad. Both cities are important hubs for the central regions of their country, Chicago being the largest city in the Midwest. Both cities have many connections onward to smaller cities in their region: Hyderabad offers connections to airports such as Chennai.

However, travelers wishing to take this flight will have to time their trip very carefully because the direct Hyderabad-Chicago/O’Hare flight only operates once a week on Fridays.

Many of the world’s longest flights originate in or fly to Australia because it is one of the most isolated continents. However, advances in aviation technology can connect “Down Under” with new destinations. Qantas only operates one direct flight between Australia and continental Europe, and it’s a doozy: it takes 16 hours and 25 minutes and covers 13,354 km.

The flight actually starts in Sydney but stops in Perth, a city in Western Australia. Historically, Qantas flew to Europe using the “Kangaroo Route,” or flights with frequent stops or hops. Even with advances in airline technology, airplanes still need to stop in Western Australia to refuel and restock before heading onward to Europe instead of going directly from the east coast.

The flight may be long, but it’s about as comfortable as it can get thanks to the Boeing 787 Dreamliner which is adapted specifically for long-haul travel.

The flight between Qatar’s Doha and Los Angeles links an important Middle Eastern hub for international travel with LAX, a hub for onward travel within the United States and the Americas. The flight spans 13,354 km in terms of great circle distance and takes a little over 16 hours. 

Many of the passengers flying to Los Angeles from Doha did not start their journeys in Qatar but flew in from other destinations in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. Although the most common transit airport is still Dubai, Doha is climbing in the rankings. 

This is one of the longest-operating long-haul flights on the list since the flights started in 2016.

Jeddah to Los Angeles is another marathon flight connecting the West Coast of the United States with the Middle East. The flight from the Saudi Arabian city to Los Angeles covers 13,409 km and takes just over 16 hours. 

When it launched in 2014, this flight operated by Saudia was one of the longest flights to operate in the world using a Boeing 777. 

Most people think of airports such as Dubai and Doha as important connections, but Jeddah shouldn’t be overlooked. An examination of booking data found that many of the passengers taking this flight had started their journey in other cities in Saudi Arabia and other countries in the Middle East. Jeddah is an important regional connection. 

Rounding out the trio of Middle East-Los Angeles flights is the longest of the three, the flight from Dubai to the City of Angels. This flight spans a great-circle distance that is slightly longer than the flights from Jeddah or Doha, at 13,390 kilometers, and takes about 16 hours and 20 minutes.

The flight is operated by Emirates, which uses Dubai International Airport as one of its most important hubs. 

Emirates has a reputation as one of the most comfortable airlines, and its long-haul flight to Los Angeles is no different. Passengers have glowing reviews, even for the experience in economy class.

The 9^th-longest flight in the world connects the busiest airport in North America and the planet with the busiest airport in Africa. The flight from Johannesburg to Atlanta takes about 16 hours and 20 minutes and spans 13,573 kilometers.

As with many international routes, these flights were paused due to COVID-19, but Delta brought back flights along this route in 2021.

Passengers wanting to head directly to Johannesburg can fly out three times a week.

The city-state of Singapore, an important business destination in its own right, is also an important hub for onward travel to the rest of Asia. That is why the direct flight from San Francisco to Singapore is so important. The flight spans 8,447 miles or 13,593 kilometers and takes over 17 hours.

Singapore Airlines flies out of San Francisco using the Airbus A350, a plane that claims to combat jet lag using technology such as comfortable seating and natural-seeming lighting. After 17 hours of travel, passengers will certainly need it!

This route is actually operated by two airlines because United offers its own service to Singapore.

Manila is the surprising origin point of many of the world’s longest flights because the Philippines is often unjustly overlooked as an aviation powerhouse. The Manila to New York flight is even longer than the Manila to Toronto flight, covering 13,712 kilometers and taking over 16 hours.

New York is also home to a sizable Filipino diaspora community, making this a smart flight route to have.

Like the Toronto to Manila flight, the New York to Manila flight now stops in Vancouver to refuel since Philippine Airlines has to avoid Russian airspace.

There are very few direct flights connecting North America to Australia and Dallas/Fort Worth is lucky to have one of them. The flight spans 13,804 kilometers in great circle distance and takes about 17 hours and 20 minutes to complete.

Qantas used to operate another direct route to Australia out of Texas, one flying out of Houston that was slightly longer, but that route has been paused due to pandemic restrictions.

The flight from Dallas to Australia is a long-established route, although previously planes stopped in Brisbane. Thanks to the introduction of the Airbus A380, Qantas can now make the longer direct flight. That hasn’t stopped Qantas from dreaming bigger, and the airline says that it eventually hopes to connect New York with Sydney with a direct flight.

The San Francisco to Bangalore flight operated by Air India takes almost 18 hours which makes sense because there is a lot of distance to cover—the great-circle distance is 14,004 kilometers.

There is some confusion about the current state of the service: while some say that you can hop on this direct flight once a week, others say that the service won’t fully launch until the fall of 2022. The official announcement of the route happened in January 2021, alongside the announcement of the route to Chicago.  

Air India uses the Boeing 777-200LR plane to cover this route, which makes sense because Boeing designed that model specifically for long-haul flights. The first flight between the two cities was designed to be socially conscious as Air India chose an all-woman crew. A great choice for connecting two cities known for their tech industries and cutting-edge culture!

People traveling from Los Angeles to Singapore had better bring plenty of reading material: the flight connecting the two cities is one of the longest in the world. The flight covers 14,114 kilometers, mostly flying over the North Pacific, and takes a little over 17 hours.

This route is operated by Singapore Airlines, the undisputed leader in terms of long-haul flights on this list. The airline uses an Airbus A350-900 for this route. This is one of Airbus’s most modern planes with features such as advanced air filtration, in-flight Internet, and ambient lighting.

The Los Angeles to Singapore route used to be the longest flight in the world, but as you will see when you reach the end of this list, Singapore Airlines’ main competition is itself.

Australians wanting to fly to Europe have a real treat now—if they have the patience for it—Qantas operates direct flights from the western Australian city of Perth to London. The flight covers 14,498 kilometers and takes just over 17 hours. 

The Perth to London flight requires stamina and plenty of compression socks, but it’s a far cry from what flights looked like when Qantas started its European service: back in 1935, passengers traveled for 12 days and stopped 31 times!

During the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic, what flights remained operated out of Darwin instead of Perth due to Western Australia’s stringent restrictions.

Singapore Airlines operates the two longest flights in the world. The second-longest is the flight from Newark Liberty Airport, which serves New York City, although it is technically in New Jersey, to Singapore. This flight spans 15,344 kilometers and takes 18 hours and 45 minutes. 

The flight to Newark was actually Singapore Airlines’ first route flying to New York City. It later added the JFK route and canceled this route, brought it back then suspended it again during the pandemic, only to triumphantly return in 2022 with service to both New York airports. 

Right now, passengers from Singapore can choose from three flights a day to airports in the New York area.

The flight from New York JFK to Singapore beats out its Newark counterpart for the title of the longest flight in the world by five kilometers and five minutes. The 15,349-kilometer flight takes 18 hours and 50 minutes. 

Singapore Airlines added the JFK route to its existing flight to Newark to better serve passengers living in the New York metro area and to transport cargo. It’s unclear how long this Singapore Airlines flight will hold on to the title as Cathay Pacific is planning changes to its Hong Kong-London route and Qantas wants to add a direct flight from Sydney to London. For now, this is the longest direct flight in the world.

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