What Is the Longest Flight in the World?
Sources: SQ, QF, EK, AA, ICAO · Updated May 2026
Singapore Airlines SQ23 between Singapore (SIN) and New York–JFK is the longest scheduled commercial flight in the world as of May 2026, with the sister service SQ21 to Newark (EWR) a close second. Both are operated by the Airbus A350-900ULR (Ultra Long Range), cover roughly 9,500+ statute miles (8,200+ nautical miles), and take about 18 hours 30 minutes in the dominant direction. The next tier — Doha–Auckland (Qatar Airways QR920), Perth–London (Qantas QF9), Dubai–Auckland (Emirates EK448) — sits in the 8,800–9,200 statute-mile range. All ultra-long-haul flights depend on ETOPS-330 / EDTO-370 approvals for the A350 and 787 families.
The current record holder — SIN ↔ JFK
Singapore Airlines reintroduced the SIN–EWR route in October 2018 and added SIN–JFK in November 2020 / 2021. Both use the Airbus A350-900ULR with 161 seats (67 business, 94 premium economy) — no economy cabin. Key numbers:
| Route | Distance | Block time | Aircraft |
|---|---|---|---|
| SQ23 SIN → JFK | ~9,537 sm (8,288 nm) | ~18h 40m | A350-900ULR |
| SQ22 JFK → SIN | ~9,537 sm | ~18h 50m | A350-900ULR |
| SQ21 SIN → EWR | ~9,527 sm (8,279 nm) | ~18h 30m | A350-900ULR |
| SQ24 EWR → SIN | ~9,527 sm | ~18h 50m | A350-900ULR |
Distances vary slightly by routing and prevailing winds. Eastbound flights often benefit from tailwinds in the jet stream and post shorter times; westbound segments are usually 20–30 minutes longer.
Top 10 longest commercial flights (2026)
Approximate distances by published great-circle routing; actual flight paths often deviate due to airspace closures (Russia, Iran, Ukraine), weather, and winds.
| # | Carrier / Flight | Route | Distance | Aircraft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Singapore Airlines SQ23/22 | SIN ↔ JFK | ~9,537 sm | A350-900ULR |
| 2 | Singapore Airlines SQ21/24 | SIN ↔ EWR | ~9,527 sm | A350-900ULR |
| 3 | Qatar Airways QR920/921 | DOH ↔ AKL | ~9,032 sm | B777-200LR |
| 4 | Qantas QF9/10 | PER ↔ LHR | ~9,009 sm | B787-9 |
| 5 | Emirates EK448/449 | DXB ↔ AKL | ~8,824 sm | A380 |
| 6 | United UA80/81 | EWR ↔ JNB | ~8,094 sm | B787-9 |
| 7 | Delta DL200/201 | JNB ↔ ATL | ~8,439 sm | A350-900 |
| 8 | Cathay Pacific CX846 | HKG ↔ NYC | ~8,054 sm | A350-1000 |
| 9 | Qantas QF7/8 | SYD ↔ DFW | ~8,578 sm | A380 |
| 10 | Emirates EK215/216 | DXB ↔ LAX | ~8,339 sm | A380 |
Rankings shift quarter-to-quarter as carriers add or pause routes. Singapore Airlines announced an expansion of ultra-long-haul services in 2026; future "Project Sunrise" Qantas routes (Sydney-London nonstop) are expected to push the record beyond 11,000 statute miles when they enter service.
How an 18-hour flight is operationally possible
Four ingredients combine:
- →Ultra-long-range airframes: A350-900ULR adds fuel capacity vs. the standard A350-900 (no auxiliary tanks; the modification is mainly software and fuel-system changes). The 777-200LR was the previous record holder. The 787-9 and the upcoming Project Sunrise A350-1000 are the other workhorses.
- →ETOPS-330 / EDTO-370 approval: lets twin-engine jets fly far from diversion airports — essential over the central Pacific, Indian Ocean, and Southern Ocean. See ETOPS / EDTO explained.
- →Augmented crew and onboard rest facilities: 4 pilots and additional cabin crew operate ultra-long-haul flights, rotating through dedicated crew rest compartments. See our controlled-rest explainer.
- →Premium-heavy seating layouts: the SIN-EWR/JFK A350-900ULR has only premium economy and business class — no economy cabin — to keep weight and yield in balance.
What's the longest flight by duration vs distance?
Distance and duration usually correlate but not perfectly. Strong jet-stream tailwinds can make a longer-distance eastbound route shorter in flight time than a shorter westbound one. The longest by scheduled block time in 2026 is still SIN-EWR westbound at ~18h 50m. The longest by great-circle distance is SIN-JFK at ~9,537 statute miles. The longest-ever scheduled commercial flight by either measure was Singapore Airlines' original SIN-EWR run on the A340-500 (2004–2013), which sometimes posted block times beyond 19 hours.
Why airspace closures changed the leaderboard
Russian airspace closure (February 2022 onward) and the more recent Iranian airspace closure (February 2026) added 30–120 minutes to many Europe-Asia and Asia-North America flights that previously used those FIRs. Some carriers absorbed this within existing schedules; others switched aircraft or capped passenger loads to maintain range margins. The net effect is that "longest flight" lists shift faster than they used to. See why airlines reroute for the broader context.
Sources
- · Singapore Airlines — A350-900ULR fleet and SIN-EWR/JFK schedule
- · Qatar Airways — DOH-AKL operational profile
- · Qantas — Project Sunrise program, PER-LHR operation
- · Emirates — DXB-AKL and DXB-LAX schedules
- · American Airlines, United, Delta — Africa and Asia route data
- · ICAO — long-haul operations standards
- · Flightradar24 — public flight-time and routing data
- · Aviation Week and FlightGlobal — ultra-long-haul market coverage 2026