Aviation has long brought the world together, allowing travel from one end to the other in under a day now. However, not all airports and airlines can boast of having connections to all six habitable continents on earth. While some like Darwin saw their first flight from South America due to a Qantas repatriation from Buenos Aries, it does not regularly host such flights. Today, we'll take a look at which airlines and airport host flights from all six.

What are the six habitable continents?

Before we address the main question of the day, we should first lay down some definitions and ground rules. Firstly, the six habitable continents are North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Oceania. The one continent not considered habitable is Antarctica (even if it does host a contingent of researchers year-round).

The list in itself can be controversial, depending on your interpretation of what constitutes a continent (geologists and sociologists may have differing views). However, since this is the most widely adopted way of categorizing large parts of the world, this is what we will stick with.

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London Heathrow Aerial View
Photo: BasPhoto / Shutterstock

What parts of the world can we rule out?

Airports in Asia (excluding the Middle East) don't operate flights to South America due to the distance. The closest to this is Aeromexico operating a flight to Tokyo, although it's hub and home country are technically part of North America. Historically, some airlines have operated flights from Japan to Brazil via a stop in the United States.

Larger airports in the southeastern portion of Oceania (mainly consisting of Australia and New Zealand) have only recently started adding direct flights to North America, with Air New Zealand's new service from Auckland to New York and Qantas' flight from Perth to London Heathrow. However, with the Australian carrier's Project Sunrise drawing closer, these routes could become part of the norm of travel very soon.

The Middle East

To find airports operating regular services to all six habitable continents, we only have to look at the Middle East, which has a favorable geographic position to suit the range of modern-day airliners operating with profitable payloads.

Emirates and Qatar Airways operate regular passenger services through their hubs in Dubai International Airport (DXB) and Doha Hamad Airport (DOH). While destinations in Africa, Asia, and North America aren't a problem, the airlines also manage to reach as far (south)west as Sao Paolo in Brazil and as far east as Auckland in New Zealand. This covers all six of the habitable continents with relative ease.

Qatar Airways Airbus A350
Photo: Vytautas Kielaitis I Shutterstock

Indeed, these airports' connectivity is what has made them so popular in the last few decades. The ability to fly from Buenos Aries to Auckland, for example, with one stop is a tempting proposition for those who don't live in a city with a major hub or perhaps in a distant part of the world.

No other airport or airlines in Asia fly to all habitable continents, mainly due to range restrictions on flights to South America.

Oceania

Despite, and also due to, its location, airlines in Oceania have long hoped to see nonstop connections to every continent, especially Europe. Qantas made this possible in 2018 thanks to its connection from Perth to London, which clocks in as the third-longest flight in the world (behind Singapore Airlines' services to New York JFK and Newark, respectively). At 14,499 km and a flight time of 17 hours and 45 minutes, this Boeing 787-9 flight is a huge step forward and has been a success for the Flying Kangaroo.

In the summer of 2022, Qantas announced its second nonstop connection to Europe, with a new Perth-Rome service. There is no shortage of demand for quick flights, with the route once again performing exceptionally in its opening few months.

Qantas Yam Dreaming Livery Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner VH-ZND
Photo: Vincenzo Pace I Simple Flying 

Add Qantas' services to Johannesburg and Santiago and it has one flight to three continents and plenty of services to North America, Asia, and its home in Oceania. As mentioned earlier, Project Sunrise will make more flights to Europe possible from cities like Sydney and Melbourne, making European and North American destinations just one flight away.

A special mention has to be given to British Airways. While the airline technically operates to all six continents, its service from London to Sydney is punctuated with a quick layover in Singapore. For this reason, it doesn't make our list, but may well do so in the future and is the only European airline to even get close.

North America

Looking at airports opens more opportunities for flights to all the habitable continents. New York JFK Airport is a new entrant on this list, made possible by Air New Zealand's ultra-long-haul flights at Auckland Airport. While Air NZ's lack of flights to Africa and South America means it misses out on the list itself, its flight to the East Coast helps JFK onto the prestigious status.

Air New Zealand Boeing 787
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) also joins the rank as an airport boasting connections to all six continents. We must mention its sole connection to Africa by Ethiopian Airlines has a stop in Dublin when coming into ORD, it flies nonstop back to Addis Ababa. Hence, we have included it in the list.

When looking at airlines, this list only gets longer. United Airlines and Delta Air Lines both fly to the six continents, taking advantage of their multiple hubs across the US to reach every possible city. Air Canada also holds this status in the region thanks to its presence in North Africa.

Europe and Africa

Two airports make the cut when looking at Europe, its biggest one, London Heathrow (LHR), and Rome's Fiumicino International Airport (FCO). Both airports made their way onto the list courtesy of Qantas, as we've mentioned earlier, with connections from Perth on the 787-9. If all goes, well expect to see more airports join this list very soon.

Similarly, Johannesburg Airport (JNB) is the only airport in Africa will connections to all six continents. Its extremely southern, yet central, position allows it to fly to Africa and Oceania, in addition to easier access to the other four. While LATAM connects South America and Africa (GRU-JNB), it doesn't fly to Asia, ruling it out of the list.

It's a fairly interesting topic and certainly a list that will keep changing and growing as more ultra-long-range flights take place in the years to come. Which airports and airlines do you want to see in the future? Let us know by leaving a comment!