These days, more people are flying regularly than ever before, and it's hard to believe there was a time when flying was the preserve of only the rich and famous. In the modern world (pre and post-corona) it isn't unusual for people to take ten or more flights per year, often covering thousands of miles at a time. But when boarding an aircraft, have you ever wondered where your flight ranks among the longest and shortest flights in the world? or, what factors are in play when an airline is deciding whether to launch a new route, often linking two cities that are several time zones apart? Let's find out!
- What are the longest and shortest flights in the world?
- Which airlines operate the longest and shortest flights?
- From which airports do the longest and shortest flights operate?
- Longest and shortest flights: the future
The longest and shortest flights in the world
Currently (as of June 2023), the longest commercial flights in the world operate between Singapore and New York City/ Singapore and Newark, a distance of over 9,500 miles. Typically, this flight lasts over 18 hours. The second-longest route is between Doha, Qatar, and Auckland in New Zealand, which is just over 9,000 miles. The shortest flight in the world is a long-established air route between two of the Orkney Islands (Westray and Papa Westray) in Scotland. The distance is a mere 1.7 miles and with favorable winds, the actual flight often lasts less than a minute!
Which airlines operate the longest and shortest flights?
As you might expect, the longest flights in the world are operated by major international airlines. There is, of course, plenty of kudos and prestige for an airline that manages to take the top spot in the league of longest flights, not to mention favorable media coverage. As such, it's no surprise that when it comes to holding the crown for the longest flight, competition among the leading carriers is pretty intense. At present, it's Singapore Airlines who operate the longest flight in the world, with Qatar Airways and Qantas in second and third places respectively. Emirates, United, and Aur India all feature in the current top ten longest flights. As for the shortest flight connecting two of the Orkney Islands, the operator is the Scottish regional airline Loganair.
From which airports do the longest and shortest flights operate?
With few exceptions, the longest flights tend to operate to and from major international airports, usually in or near the country's capital city (or at least its biggest city). Only these airports have the long runways and wide parking stands required to accommodate wide-body aircraft such as the Airbus A380. Airports in the US that host some of the longest flights include New York (JFK), Los Angeles (LAX) and San Francisco (SFO). Internationally they include Singapore (SIN), London Heathrow (LHR), and two of the Middle Eastern hubs, Dubai (DXB) and Doha (DOH). Unsurprisingly, the two airports connected by the shortest flight (Westray and Papa Westray) are somewhat smaller affairs, with relatively few facilities. The aircraft that fly this route are small turboprops, often carrying no more than nine passengers, which can operate perfectly well from airports with short runways.
Longest and shortest flights: the future
Most of the world's major airlines are constantly researching the viability of new, long-distance routes. And while Singapore Airlines' flagship route from Singapore to New York/Newark is currently the longest, it's only a matter of time before a rival airline will commit to a route that's marginally longer. Qantas has made no secret of its test flights (known as 'Project Sunrise') linking Sydney with New York and London, both covering upwards of 10,000 miles. It isn't that long ago that the prospect of flying non-stop from either New York or London to the east coast of Australia would have been simply unthinkable. But in the next two to three years, both routes will almost certainly become reality. In large part, this is because today's aircraft are highly efficient, especially as far as burning fuel is concerned. When airlines are considering new routes, one of the critical elements is the load factor, the proportion of seats that need to be occupied for the flight to turn a profit. Meanwhile, on the windswept Orkney Islands, the shortest flight in the world looks set to retain that accolade for the foreseeable future.
These days the longest flights in the world cover distances that would have been unattainable until relatively recently. As long as there is demand to travel between the world's major cities, the longest flight route is likely to keep changing periodically as airlines use new aircraft to launch new routes.
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