In July of this year, an Airbus A350-1000ULR test aircraft completed a non-stop flight test from Melbourne, Australia to Toulouse, France, with a flight time of 24 hours and 24 minutes and covering a distance of 14,338 miles. This flight was part of the testing for the development of the aircraft model under the “Sunrise Project” by Qantas Airways.
This test flight is considered the longest non-stop flight ever completed by a commercial aircraft, although there were no regular passengers on board, as reported by Condé Nast Traveler.
According to the rankings from the Schedules Analyzer by the British aviation data agency OAG released in May this year, Condé Nast Traveler compiled a list of the top ten longest regular passenger direct flight routes globally, as follows:
– New York JFK to Singapore (Singapore Airlines, 9,537 miles, Airbus A350-900ULR)
– Newark to Singapore (Singapore Airlines, 9,534 miles, Airbus A350-900ULR)
– Auckland to Doha (Qatar Airways, 9,032 miles, Airbus A350-1000/Boeing 777-200LR)
– London Heathrow to Perth (Qantas Airways, 9,010 miles, Boeing 787-9)
– Dallas to Melbourne (Qantas Airways, 8,998 miles, Boeing 787-9)
– Paris Charles de Gaulle to Perth (Qantas Airways, 8,864 miles, Boeing 787-9)
– Auckland to New York JFK (Air New Zealand, Qantas Airways, 8,828 miles, Boeing 787/787-9)
– Auckland to Dubai (Emirates, 8,823 miles, Airbus A380-800)
– Mexico City to Shenzhen (China Southern Airlines, 8,775 miles, Airbus A350)
– Los Angeles to Singapore (Singapore Airlines, 8,770 miles, Airbus A350-900)
The London Heathrow to Perth route has seen temporary adjustments in routes and schedules due to the situation in the Middle East airspace. The Auckland to New York JFK route was first operated by Air New Zealand in 2022, with Qantas Airways joining a year later. The Mexico City to Shenzhen route was launched by China Southern Airlines on May 11, 2024, and currently operates with three round-trip flights per week.
Condé Nast Traveler quoted OAG’s reminder that flight schedules, aircraft configurations, and operational modes are subject to change at any time, and the rankings mentioned are based on data from May 2026.