Some of the longest flights in the world are technically domestic flights. Unsurprisingly, the US has plenty of long haul domestic flights. In fact, it is home to seven of the top ten. But what are the other three? And what’s the record for the longest ever domestic flight ever flown? We’ve got the rundown for you.
The top five
The number one longest domestic route in the world operates between Boston and Honolulu in the US. In terms of distance, this flight is a massive 4,418 nautical miles (8,182 km). The trip takes around 11 hours and 40 minutes without stopping and is the longest domestic route in the world operated by Hawaiian Airlines. Hawaiian only launched the non-stop version last year.
Actually, the top five longest routes all connect Hawaii to the mainland US. In second place is a flight connecting Honolulu to New York’s JFK airport over a huge 4,321 nautical miles (8,002 km). In third place, you can fly between Newark and Honolulu at around 4,303 nautical miles (7,969 km). Atlanta comes in fourth place. Connecting Atlanta to Hawaii is just under 4,000 nautical miles (7,408 km), with Chicago O’Hare airport in fifth place at 3,680 miles (6,815 km).
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Outside the US
The sixth longest flight is the first on the list outside of the US. It takes place in Russia, connecting Petropavlovsk with Moscow Sheremetyevo. The flight takes approximately seven hours and 50 minutes and covers 3,639 nautical miles (6,739 km).
Domestic Russian flights account for the other three flights on the list. The eight longest domestic flight connects Moscow Sheremetyevo to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, and the ninth longest is between Moscow Sheremetyevo and Vladivostok. These flights are 3,585 miles (6,639 km) and 3,457 miles (6,402 km), respectively.
The other two flights on the list also connect Hawaii to the mainland states. The seventh longest connects the airport of Kahului to Chicago O’Hare at over 3,629 miles (6,720 km). In tenth place is the route between Honolulu and Minneapolis at 3,445 miles (6,380 km). Even though it’s the shortest on the list, this flight still takes eight and a half hours, non-stop.
Although these flights do exist as non-stop flights, there are plenty of airlines that fly these routes with stop-off points. The overall travel time may be longer, but the break in the middle is very welcome.
Longest domestic flight in the world
All this data comes from OAG’s evaluation of last year when the aviation industry was somewhat normal. Now, as international border restrictions limit cross-border flights, we may see more domestic routes opening up.
This year we’ve already seen two new records for the longest ever domestic flight. Both flights were one-offs. Firstly, in March of this year, Air Tahiti Nui flew from Papeete in Tahiti to Paris, covering 15,715 km in 15 hours and 45 minutes. Usually, this flight stops in the US, but due to the travel restrictions, the airline was forced to fly directly to France.
New budget carrier French Bee then managed to beat the new record by flying a very similar route. The airline flew a massive 16 hours and 49 minutes, covering 16,129 km, also from Tahiti to Paris. It’s thought the airbus A350-900, which set the record, had minimal weight onboard. This flight would not be possible with a full plane of cargo or passengers. As Tahiti is part of French Polynesia, which is a colony of France, the flight counts as domestic.
What’s the longest flight you’ve ever taken? Let us know in the comments.