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Air India sets record for longest nonstop flight
October 28th 2016
Air India this week set a new world record for operating the longest nonstop flight between Delhi and San Francisco after routing the service via the Pacific Ocean instead of the Atlantic. Read More »
At 15,300kms, the transpacific route is almost 1,400kms longer than flying across Europe and then the Atlantic, but predominant tailwinds still shave two hours off the journey for a total travel time of 14.5 hours.
Nevertheless, Air India only crosses the Pacific on the outbound sector. On the return from San Francisco to Delhi, the flag carrier and Star Alliance member still uses the traditional transatlantic route as it benefits from reverse tailwinds.
Air India now flies the Delhi-San Francisco B777-200LR route six times a week.
Its transpacific route will likely remain the world's longest nonstop service for the next two years until fellow Star member, Singapore Airlines (SIA), launches the mother of all ultra-long-haul flights in 2018, a 19-hour A350ULR schlepp between Singapore and New York City.
SIA last week joined United Airlines on the world’s fourth longest route, the 13,593kms flight between Singapore and San Francisco. SIA serves the route with the A350, United with the B787-9.
The world’s second longest flight is an Emirates Airline Dubai-Auckland A380 route, the third longest Qantas Airways’ Sydney-Dallas rotation, also operated by the superjumbo.
