The world's longest passenger flights

By Lauren Kerensky

updated 11:07 a.m. ET July 16, 2007

Traveling from Singapore to Newark, N.J.? Better bring lots of reading material — or Ambien. That's because you'll be onboard almost 19 hours — it's the longest route in the world.

For years, whether to refuel or allow for connecting flights, multi-stop trips were the norm for those traveling ultra-long distances. Not so today. That's because airlines are increasingly using planes with long-range capability and passengers traveling farther afield are eagerly boarding them.

According to July Airline Traffic Statistics from OAG, a global flight information and data solutions company, the number of scheduled long-haul flights has been increasing steadily over the past six years. There were 866 scheduled flights between Hong Kong International Airport and the U.S. or Canada in July 2001 vs. 1,000 scheduled for July 2007.

And there have already been 677 orders to date for the Boeing Dreamliner 787, one of the aircraft utilized for ultra-long, nonstop flights. The plane has yet to undergo test flights.

Christopher Pickard of DBA P.R., which represents OAG, says the growing demand for this type of trip is the result of people regaining confidence in flight since Sept. 11, 2001, along with an escalating desire to explore the world.

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"People are just a lot happier moving around," he says. And while a business trip can easily be replaced with video-conferencing and telecommuting, "nothing really beats the face-to-face meeting."

Time keeps on ticking
These flights are becoming more common in part because liners are capable of performing long-haul journeys without refueling due to a larger fuel capacity. Some popular long-haul crafts are the Boeing 777, introduced in 1995, the Airbus A340-500, which began service in 2002, and the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, soon to be the newest addition to the Virgin Atlantic, Qantas and Continental fleets.

The Dreamliner celebrated its premiere on July 8 and will begin flight tests in late August or September. The aircraft uses 20 percent less fuel than those currently flying long-haul and features a larger seating capacity and an interior environment with higher humidity.

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Airbus's A340-500 is currently the longest-range passenger aircraft in service and is the designated chariot for Singapore Airlines' Singapore-Newark and Singapore-Los Angeles hauls. The A340-500 also transports Thai Airways' Bangkok-bound passengers from JFK Airport in New York and LAX in Los Angeles.

But making such a trip has to be economical for the airline. Aircraft have a prescribed capacity weight, and since more fuel is required for nonstop trips, payload — passengers or cargo that generate revenue — has to be cut to accommodate the weight of extra fuel.

Translation: Planes that can fit 305 people may only book 250, says Robert Smith, a fuel expert consultant for the International Air Transport Association.

"That would give them the range to make it non-stop," he says. "The airlines have to decide to sacrifice payload for range."

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