Many numbers are considered to be lucky, unlucky, superstitious, or somehow unique. It varies regionally, religiously, culturally, historically, or by country. Some numbers are directly associated with a particular event that resonates positively or negatively. But what about flights and routes that use 666, the so-called 'devil's number'?

Unusual numbers

For airlines, the use (or lack of use) of these special numbers as flight numbers is intriguing. It can apply to a specific airline, where it no longer uses a number when a flight has gone down that resulted in a loss of life.

Or it can be broadly applied at an individual country level or more or less for the whole industry. For example, routes with flight number one are often perceived as prestigious. They conjure up images of importance or difference, or they may reflect a historical point in time, a technological advancement, or the specific market or passengers.

Iran Air Airbus A321
IR666: Iran Air mainly uses the A321 from Kuwait back to Isfahan, a roughly one-hour trip. Photo: Getty Images.

The devil's number: 666

What about the number 666, the so-called 'number of the beast' and synonymous with the devil, the antichrist, or evil in general? For some, this number is believed to hold such meaning as to scare them into taking action.

For example, in 2013, Route 666 in the USA, nicknamed the 'Devil's Highway,' was renamed Route 491 due to the negative connotations. Surely no airline and no route would have flight number 666?

Air Arabia G9666
Air Arabia flight G9666 just landed in Sudan's capital. Image: Flightradar24.

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What routes use flight number 666?

In July 2022, 13 routes have flight number 666 – and SIN (Singapore) to HEL (Helsinki) isn't one of them. While it is exceptionally unpopular, it's a coincidence that there are 13 as that is often a so-called 'lucky' number.

This month, there is no 666 route in the US and only one in Latin America. Most are in Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. Between them, they have just 238 flights, against nearly three million in total.

Organized by the number of flights, the routes in July are as follows. Notice Air Greenland. It has just one 666 flight in July. On Friday, 8th, it runs the 14 miles (22km) between Qaarsut and Uummannaq. With a block time of 12 minutes, it uses 19-seat EC155 helicopters.

  1. All Nippon: NH666, Nagasaki to Tokyo Haneda
  2. Citilink: QG666, Jakarta to Denpasar-Bali
  3. Lion Air: JT666, Surabaya to Samarinda
  4. Widerøe: WF666, Trondheim to Harstad/Narvik
  5. Ryanair: FR666, Dublin to Birmingham
  6. Volaris: Y4666, Mexico City to Tuxtla Gutierrez
  7. Egyptair: MS666, Jeddah to Cairo
  8. Royal Air Maroc: AT666, Tangier to Paris Orly
  9. Luxair: LG666, Malaga to Luxembourg
  10. British Airways: BA666, London Heathrow to Chania
  11. Iran Air: IR666, Kuwait to Isfahan
  12. Air Arabia: G9666, Sharjah to Khartoum
  13. Air Greenland: GL666, Qaarsut to Uummannaq
Luxair LG666
When writing, LG666 is en route to Luxembourg using the call sign 'Luxair Six Six Mike'. Image: Flightradar24.

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One widebody route

Only one of the 13 routes uses a widebody: MS666 between Jeddah and Cairo. Egyptair deploys 301-seat A330-300s on the 755-mile (1,215km) airport pair. On July 5th, 11.1-year-old SU-GDT was used. It left Saudi Arabia at 06:29 and arrived home 1h 39m later at 07:08 local time.

What is the odd flight number you remember flying? Let us know in the comments.