The longest nonstop flights in the world right now

The longest flight you can book today keeps you in the same seat for more than 19 hours. That is a long time, and the list of routes that come close is short, because very few city pairs have both the demand and the aircraft to justify it.

This guide lists the longest scheduled nonstop passenger flights as of autumn 2026, explains why the ranking has shifted this year, and sets out what is actually known about Qantas's Project Sunrise, the flights that will push the record past 17,000 km.

A note on our own data before we start: the route archive behind this site is mostly a snapshot from around 2014, so it does not show any of today's ultra-long-haul flights reliably. For this article we used current schedule data, not our archive.

The current top ten

The ranking below follows the AirAdvisor longest-flights tracker, which starts from OAG's Summer 2026 ranking, adds other scheduled routes over 13,000 km, and keeps only routes with recorded nonstop passenger flights in at least one direction. Its September 2026 update checked flight records from 11 to 25 September 2026. Distances are great-circle, meaning the shortest path over the Earth's surface, not the distance the aircraft actually flies around weather and closed airspace.

Two things stand out. First, Singapore Airlines holds three of the top ten. Second, several routes on the list are not currently flown nonstop in both directions, which is new this year.

Number one: New York to Singapore

Singapore Airlines flies New York JFK and Newark to Singapore with the Airbus A350-900ULR, a version of the A350-900 built for ultra-long range. The difference between the two New York airports is only a few kilometres, so which one is "longest" depends on whose measurement you use and how the timetable falls in a given week.

The ULR cabin is unusual. It has 161 seats, 67 in business class and 94 in premium economy, and no economy cabin at all. Fewer seats means less weight, and on a flight this long every kilogram of payload costs fuel. Singapore Airlines decided that a smaller, premium-heavy cabin was the way to make the route pay.

This is not the first time the airline has held the record with New York flights. It flew Singapore to Newark nonstop with the four-engine Airbus A340-500 from June 2004 to November 2013, when revenue was no longer enough to sustain the service, and relaunched the route in October 2018 with the more efficient twin-engine A350-900ULR. The JFK flight followed in November 2020, first with a standard A350-900 and with the ULR version from January 2021.

Why the list changed in 2026

If you saw a version of this list in 2025, a few entries look different now. The reason is airspace.

In March 2026 the conflict in the Middle East closed or restricted large areas of airspace that ultra-long-haul flights between Europe and Australia relied on. Qantas's Perth to London service had been nonstop since 2018. From 3 March 2026, QF9 began stopping in Singapore for fuel because the detour around closed airspace made the nonstop impossible with a commercially useful load. Qantas also said the stop would let it carry up to 60 more passengers on each flight. AirAdvisor reports that the Singapore routing is scheduled until at least 31 January 2027, while the London to Perth direction, which benefits from different winds and routings, still operates nonstop at a scheduled 16h 50m.

Qatar Airways' Doha to Auckland flight was suspended and, according to AirAdvisor, resumed on 17 June 2026, after a suspension of about three and a half months, with a stop in Adelaide rather than as a nonstop. Qantas's Perth and Paris flights did not appear as nonstops in the September records either: AirAdvisor notes that the Sydney to Paris service, which normally stops in Perth, has routed via Singapore since April 2026.

Other long routes dropped out entirely. AirAdvisor lists Air India's Bengaluru to San Francisco nonstop (about 14,003 km) as dropped from 1 March 2026, and United's Houston to Sydney (about 13,834 km) as not operating in September, with a return expected on 24 October 2026.

The lesson for travellers is that a route on a "longest flights" list is not a promise. Ultra-long-haul flights operate close to the limits of the aircraft, so anything that adds distance, whether a closed airspace, a seasonal headwind or a hot day at a high-altitude airport, can force a stop.

That last point explains the China Southern entry. Mexico City's airport sits at about 2,230 metres above sea level, where the thin air reduces engine thrust and wing lift on takeoff. The Shenzhen to Mexico City direction is nonstop, but the return routes via Tijuana because the aircraft cannot take off from Mexico City with enough fuel for the full trip.

The routes still flying nonstop both ways

If you want to experience one of these flights as a genuine nonstop, these are the safest bets based on the September 2026 data:

• Singapore to New York (JFK or Newark): daily A350-900ULR, the longest flights in the world.
• Melbourne and Dallas/Fort Worth: Qantas flies this with the Boeing 787-9, three times a week, scheduled at 17h 40m. Many passengers connect onward with American Airlines, Qantas's joint venture partner.
• Auckland and New York JFK: Air New Zealand and Qantas both fly it nonstop. The JFK to Auckland direction is scheduled at 17h 50m according to AirAdvisor, longer than the reverse because of prevailing winds.
• Auckland and Dubai: Emirates flies an A380, one of the few very long routes still flown by a four-engine aircraft.
• Los Angeles to Singapore: another Singapore Airlines A350 route.

Scheduled times differ by direction on almost every one of these routes. On east-west journeys that is mostly the jet stream, which we explain in why westbound flights take longer.

Project Sunrise: where it actually stands

Project Sunrise is Qantas's plan to fly nonstop from Sydney to London and Sydney to New York. Sydney to London is about 17,020 km on a great circle (calculated with the same formula we use for our route map), roughly 1,700 km longer than today's record holder.

Here is what has been confirmed, and what has not.

The aircraft. Qantas has ordered 12 Airbus A350-1000ULRs. The main change from a standard A350-1000 is an additional fuel tank of about 20,000 litres. The aircraft will carry 238 passengers in four classes, far fewer than a typical long-haul layout, again to save weight.

Delivery. The first aircraft was expected in late 2026. In May 2026, Airbus moved the first delivery to April 2027, citing supply chain problems. Qantas had originally planned to have the type in commercial service by mid-2027.

Testing. The first aircraft has flown. On 24 July 2026 it arrived in Melbourne after a flight from Toulouse operated by four Airbus test pilots and five flight test engineers, which Qantas called a major milestone. This was part of the test campaign, not the start of passenger service.

Launch date. In June 2026 Qantas announced that nonstop Sydney to London flights will start in October 2027. The plan is for daily flights to London and New York, with Chicago and Latin America mentioned as later options. No exact start day or New York date had been published at the time of writing.

So, as of October 2026, no Project Sunrise passenger flight has operated, and none will before the first delivery in 2027. The programme has slipped before, and the October 2027 date depends on Airbus delivering on its revised timeline. When it does launch, Sydney to London will take the title of the world's longest scheduled flight by a wide margin.

What makes these flights possible

Ultra-long-haul routes need three things to line up.

1. An aircraft with enough range at a useful payload. Range figures in brochures assume particular loads. Airlines cut seats, as Singapore and Qantas both did, to make the numbers work on the longest routes.
2. Enough premium demand. Flying an aircraft for 19 hours with fewer seats only pays if a large share of passengers buys business or premium economy. That is why these routes link major financial centres.
3. A route that avoids diversion problems. Twin-engine jets must stay within a certified flying time of a suitable airport. Our guide to why flight paths curve explains how those rules, called ETOPS, shape the path.

Is an ultra-long-haul flight worth it?

The advantage is simple: you skip a connection. On a single 17 to 19 hour flight there is no transfer to miss, no second security check and no risk of a bag being left behind at a hub. The trade-off is many hours in one seat, usually with higher fares in premium cabins. Our guide to nonstop versus connecting flights covers that decision in detail, and the jet lag guide is worth reading if you are crossing ten or more time zones.

A few practical points if you book one:

• Check the aircraft and routing close to departure. As 2026 showed, a "nonstop" can gain a fuel stop at short notice.
• Choose a seat away from galleys and lavatories; foot traffic on a 19 hour flight is constant.
• Drink water steadily and get up to walk regularly.
• Plan the first day at your destination around light exposure rather than meetings.

Frequently asked questions

What is the longest flight in the world right now?

As of September 2026, Singapore Airlines' New York JFK to Singapore flight is the longest scheduled nonstop passenger flight, at about 15,349 km great-circle and a scheduled time of 19 hours 15 minutes, according to AirAdvisor's tracker.

Is Qantas flying nonstop from Sydney to London yet?

No. Qantas plans to start Sydney to London nonstop flights in October 2027. The first A350-1000ULR is now due for delivery in April 2027, so no commercial flight is possible before then.

Is Perth to London still nonstop?

Not westbound. Since March 2026 Qantas's Perth to London flight has stopped in Singapore because of airspace closures linked to the Middle East conflict. AirAdvisor reports that London to Perth still operates nonstop.

Why do these flights have so few seats?

Weight. Every passenger and bag adds weight that has to be carried for the whole journey, which means more fuel, which adds even more weight. Cutting seats lets the aircraft reach the destination with a safe fuel reserve, and premium-heavy cabins keep the route profitable.

Can I see these routes on your map?

Our map uses an archive from around 2014 for most airports, so it does not reliably show current ultra-long-haul flights. Use it to explore the shape of an airport's network, and check airline schedules for what flies today.