The 10 Longest Nonstop Flights in the World (From a Points and Miles Perspective)

Key Takeaways

• Singapore Airlines’ Singapore (SIN) to New York (JFK) route is the longest nonstop flight, covering 9,537 miles in about 18 hours and 50 minutes.
• Singapore Airlines’ Singapore (SIN) to Newark (EWR) route is close behind, covering 9,535 miles in 18 hours and 25 minutes.
• Aircraft like the Airbus A350 and Boeing 787 Dreamliner are used for these long-haul flights for better fuel efficiency and passenger comfort.

For points-and-miles geeks, jetting around the world on one of the longest nonstop flights in existence means they get to maximize their time on the truly fantastic products they and their friends aspire to. It’s a big redemption win for hard-earned miles!

To that end, we’re diving into the 10 longest nonstop flights in the world and what they’re worth from a points perspective — along with fun facts about the aircraft primed to get you to your destination.

And if you didn’t pass the points-and-miles geek test this time, one of these fabulous redemptions might convert you!

The Top 10 Longest Nonstop Flights in the World

Hot Tip:

Airlines use nautical miles, not on-the-ground miles. Every nautical mile is equal to a little over 1.15 land-based, or statute, miles. However, for the purposes of this article, we’re sticking to the more familiar statute miles unless otherwise stated. We’re also not including the return flights on the same routes.

1. Singapore (SIN) to New York (JFK) on Singapore Airlines: 9,537 Miles

Scheduled flight time: 18 hours, 50 minutes
Flight Number: SQ 24
Aircraft: Airbus A350-900ULR
Best business class redemption: 111,500 Singapore KrisFlyer miles one-way (transfer from Amex Membership Rewards, Brex Rewards, Capital One Miles, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards, or Marriott Bonvoy)

Though it was temporarily dethroned last winter by Cathay Pacific’s improvised Hong Kong-to-New York route (keep reading to find out why), Singapore Airlines has again regained its crown for longest-distance commercial flight.

You could:

• Watch all 7 movies in the “Mission Impossible” franchise, “Top Gun,” and “Top Gun: Maverick” and still have about 25 minutes left over — or enough time to catch much of the 2005 episode of “The Oprah Winfrey Show” with that infamous couch-jumping interview with Tom Cruise.
• Mileage-wise, drive from Portland, Maine, to Portland, Oregon, and back again — and then turn around and drive to Portland, Oregon 1 more time.

The A350-900ULR on this route uses 94 premium economy and 67 business class seats.

Hot Tip:

These incredibly long flights halfway around the world won’t pay for themselves! Before you pack your bags, think about what you’re packing in your wallet: Check out our guide to the best credit cards for travelers.

What Happened to Cathay Pacific?

Though Singapore Airlines has long ruled the roost of long-distance flights, it wasn’t on top from 2022 to early 2023. That’s when Cathay Pacific flew A350-1000s from New York City (JFK) to Hong Kong (HKG), listed at 10,326 miles for 17 hours and 50 minutes. Cathay Pacific pilots relied on strong but seasonal tailwinds to make the flight possible without consuming too much fuel.

Cathay Pacific chose this incredibly long flight path because of the Russia-Ukraine war. The short-lived route took planes over the Atlantic Ocean, over the U.K., through southern Europe, and over parts of Central Asia to avoid flying through Russian airspace.

Japan Airlines similarly did a temporary, much longer rerouting for flights from Tokyo to London for the same reason, going eastbound over the Pacific instead of westbound through Russia. Cathay Pacific has since returned to a more conventional flight plan over the Pacific with a shorter official flight distance of just over 8,000 miles.

• In terms of time, the temporary Cathay Pacific JFK to HKG route was long enough to watch all 10 of the “Star Trek” feature films in which James T. Kirk is the lead character (i.e., all of the original series and J.J. Abrams-reboot movies but omitting the “Star Trek: The Next Generation” films), with 1 minute to spare.
• It was also about the same distance as driving from the southernmost point in the continental U.S. — Key West, Florida — to the northernmost U.S. settlement —- Utqiagvik, Alaska, formerly known as Barrow — then deciding it was too cold and driving back down to sunny San Antonio, Texas, instead. By the way, you should never attempt to drive to Utqiagvik, even in a snowcat, during the short window when the sea ice is solid enough for some crossings.

Bottom Line:

Want to make the whole longest-flight-in-the-world debate even more confusing? Despite airlines’ listed flight distances for routes, pilots routinely take advantage of conditions like jet streams, which can shorten the flight time but increase the distance. So, though the official flight distance of SQ 24 is around 9,500 statute miles, in reality, it’s not unheard of for pilots on the route to actually cover more like 10,700 statute miles.)

Bottom line? Don’t take “official” records for longest flights too seriously.

2. Singapore (SIN) to Newark (EWR) on Singapore Airlines: 9,535 Miles

Scheduled flight time: 18 hours, 25 minutes
Flight number: SQ 22
Aircraft: Airbus A350-900ULR
Best business class redemption: 111,500 Singapore KrisFlyer miles one-way (transfer from Amex Membership Rewards, Brex Rewards, Capital One Miles, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards, or Marriott Bonvoy)

You could:

• Watch all of the original “Harry Potter” movies (“Sorcerer’s Stone” to “Death Hallows: Part 2”) without credits, with 13 minutes left over, or about enough time for a quick meal with the Yule Ball dinner scene on pause during “Goblet of Fire.”
• Mileage-wise, drive from The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios in Los Angeles to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando Resort in Florida and back — and then do most of the round-trip journey all over again. (Get your portkey ready as you near Tucson, Arizona, for the fourth time.)

This flight crosses a seemingly impossible 10 time zones!

3. Doha (DOH) to Auckland (AKL) on Qatar Airways: 9,032 Miles

Scheduled flight time: 17 hours, 20 minutes
Flight number: QR 920
Aircraft: Airbus A350-1000
Best business class redemption: 140,000 Avios plus about $150 (transfer from British Airways Executive Club, Aer Lingus AerClub, Iberia Plus, Bilt Rewards, Capital One Miles, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards, Amex Membership Rewards, or Marriott Bonvoy)

Qatar resumed the longest nonstop route in its network on September 1, 2023, after putting it on hold for 3 years during the COVID-19 pandemic. For its return, the route now features Qatar’s newest plane, the Airbus A350-1000.

You could:

• Watch every Roger Moore James Bond movie, then throw in “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.” You could still get in 2 007-minute bathroom breaks.
• In terms of distance, you could drive 3 times between New York City (the site of the opening scene of Moore’s first Bond movie, “Live and Let Die”) to San Francisco (as in Moore’s final scene as Bond in “A View to a Kill”). You’d have about enough leftover miles to make it from San Francisco to San Diego and back once, futilely searching for “Moonraker” villain Hugo Drax’s “California” mansion (which was actually a chateau in France).

4. Perth (PER) to London (LHR) on Qantas: 9,009 Miles

Scheduled flight time: 17 hours, 35 minutes
Flight number: QF 9
Aircraft: Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner
Best business class redemption: 85,000 American miles one-way (transfer from Marriott Bonvoy)
Best first class redemption: 115,000 American miles one-way (transfer from Marriott Bonvoy)

You could:

• Watch all 6 “Rocky” movies (including the 3 “Creed” spinoffs) and still have enough time to watch most of the “30 for 30” episode “42 to 1,” about Mike Tyson’s first defeat in the ring.
• Mileage-wise, drive from the steps Rocky ran up (at the Philadelphia Museum of Art) to the site of Rocky’s last fight (Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas) and back nearly twice.

5. Melbourne (MEL) to Dallas (DFW) on Qantas: 8,992 Miles

Scheduled Flight Time: 17 hours, 35 minutes
Flight number: QF 21
Aircraft: Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner
Best business class redemption: 55,000 Alaska miles one-way (transfer from Marriott Bonvoy)
Best first class redemption: 70,000 Alaska miles one-way (transfer from Marriott Bonvoy)

You could:

• Watch all 5 feature films in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise, followed by both “Fantastic Beasts” movies that Johnny Depp appears in, leaving you about an hourlong break from your own personal Deppfest.
• Mileage-wise, make a round trip from pirate Jean Lafitte’s favorite haunt, New Orleans, to Pittsburgh, home of baseball’s Pirates, 4 times.

Hot Tip:

Qantas plans to use the A350-1000 to fly 2 of the world’s longest routes, Sydney to New York and Sydney to London, as early as 2025.

6. Auckland (AKL) to New York (JFK) on Air New Zealand: 8,828 Miles

Scheduled flight time: 17 hours, 50 minutes
Flight number: NZ 2
Aircraft: Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner
Best business class redemption: 120,000 ANA miles one-way (transfer from Amex Membership Rewards or Marriott Bonvoy)

You could:

• Watch “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy and “The Hobbit” trilogy (theatrical editions) and still have about 40 minutes to spare.
• Mileage-wise, drive from Gimli, Manitoba, to Drake Bay, Costa Rica, and back — and still have time for a detour through part of the Rocky Mountains (which you can pretend are the Misty Mountains).

7. Dubai (DXB) to Auckland (AKL) on Emirates: 8,824 Miles

Scheduled flight time: 17 hours, 10 minutes
Flight number: EK 448
Aircraft: Airbus A380-800
Best business class redemption: 85,000 Japan Airlines miles plus a large cash surcharge one-way (transfer from Marriott Bonvoy)

Emirates used to fly this route on the Boeing 777-200LR but is currently operating the larger, 2-level Airbus A380.

You could:

• Watch all 5 movies in the “Indiana Jones” franchise, plus all 3 movies in the “Jurassic Park” franchise (not including the “Jurassic World” sequels) with 1 minute of time to yourself free from adventuring scientists.
• Mileage-wise, drive from the state of Indiana to the final resting place of the Ark of the Covenant (Roswell, New Mexico) and back nearly 4 times.

8. Singapore (SIN) to Los Angeles (LAX) on Singapore Airlines: 8,770 Miles

Scheduled flight time: 17 hours, 50 minutes
Flight number: SQ 38
Aircraft: Airbus A350-900ULR
Best business class redemption: 135,000 Asiana miles one-way (transfer from Marriott Bonvoy) or 200,000 United miles one-way (transfer from Bilt Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, or Marriott Bonvoy)
Best first class redemption: 180,000 Asiana miles one-way (transfer from Marriott Bonvoy)

You could:

• Watch all 3 movies in “The Godfather” trilogy (original cuts), “Goodfellas,” “Casino,” and “The Departed” and still have a little under an hour to ponder the morality of your life choices.
• Mileage-wise, you could make the trip between Little Italy in New York City to Las Vegas nearly 3.5 times. Don’t forget to take the cannoli!

9. Bengaluru (BLR) to San Francisco (SFO) on Air India: 8,701 Miles

Scheduled flight time: 17 hours, 40 minutes
Flight number: AI 175
Aircraft: Boeing 777-200LR
Best business class redemption: 100,000 Air Canada points plus about $35 in taxes and fees (transfer from Amex Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Capital One Miles, Chase Ultimate Rewards, or Marriott Bonvoy)

You could:

• Watch all 5 movies in the “Die Hard” franchise, plus “The Fifth Element,” “The Sixth Sense,” and “12 Monkeys” for a Bruce Willis festival. Then, top it off with “Over the Hedge,” in which Willis plays a raccoon.
• Distance-wise, you could recreate the real-life trajectory of Bruce Willis by driving from his hometown of Carney’s Point, New Jersey, to Hollywood, California — 3 times.

Hot Tip:

The ancient Indian city of Bangalore officially changed its name back to its traditional, non-Anglicized Kannada name, Bengaluru, in November 2014, though many still refer to it by its colonial name.

10. Houston (IAH) to Sydney (SYD) on United Airlines: 8,596 Miles

Scheduled flight time: 17 hours, 35 minutes
Flight number: UA 101
Aircraft: Boeing 787-9
Best business class redemption: 250,000 United miles one-way (transfer from Bilt Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, or Marriott Bonvoy)

United resurrected this route on October 28, 2023, after putting it on hold for 2 years because of the pandemic.

You could:

• Watch all 5 movies in the “Scream” franchise, then all 5 movies in the “Scary Movie” franchise.
• Mileage-wise, drive from the northern Illinois suburbs (where the granddaddy of slasher flicks, “Halloween,” was set) to Santa Rosa, California (the hub of most of the original “Scream” filming locations), and back. And then, like any horror franchise, do it all over again.

Mapping the Flights

We ranked flights by distance rather than flight time because flight time can vary significantly for many reasons. Please note that because flight times vary so widely from flight to flight, the actual time you spend in the air will likely differ from the listed time if you take one of these trips.

We listed flights by the shortest distance between 2 points on the Earth’s surface, also known as the great circle distance. This can also differ from the actual distance for reasons including wind, severe weather, and the need to avoid closed airspace. 

Hot Tip:

Need trivia to throw out at your next AvGeek party? The record for the longest nonstop commercial flight in terms of time in the air is held by Qantas for its August 30, 1943, flight in a Consolidated PBY Catalina seaplane from what is now Sri Lanka to Australia.

It took 32 hours and 9 minutes to travel 3,512 statute miles. The route was nicknamed “The Double Sunrise” because it experienced 2 sunrises per flight — scheduled that way so that it flew through Japanese-occupied territory at night.

About the Aircraft

As planes become more fuel-efficient and fuel costs remain relatively low, we’ll continue to see big competition for a spot on the leaderboard for the longest nonstop flights in the world.

Boeing and Airbus continue to find new ways to increase the range and passenger capacity of their aircraft, allowing airlines to turn a profit from these ultra-long-haul flights.

These aircraft (currently) make up the roster for the longest nonstop flights in the world:

• Boeing 777-200LR — Air India
• Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner — Air New Zealand, Qantas, United
• Airbus A350-900ULR — Singapore Airlines
• Airbus A350-1000 — Qatar Airways, Qantas (by 2025)
• Airbus A380 — Emirates

Boeing 777-200LR

Range: 9,845 miles/8,555 nautical miles/15,843 kilometers
Capacity: 317 passengers
Maximum Cruising Speed: Mach 0.89/683 mph
Engine: GE90-115B turbofan

The Boeing 777 commercial series is made up of 3 long-range, wide-body, twin-engine jet airliners. Boeing says that the 777 aircraft provides considerably improved reach and increased revenue potential.

In 2015, General Electric proclaimed the GE90-115B turbofan engine the most powerful engine in the world. The GE90 series held the title of history’s largest aviation engine until the introduction of the GE9X, which began flight testing in 2018. The Boeing 777 series has also won several awards for its interior cabin design and passenger satisfaction.

The 777-200LR (the “LR” is for “Long Range”) is the aircraft of choice for Emirates’ Dubai-to-Auckland route and Air India’s Bengaluru-to-San Francisco route. Air India flies a 777-200LR previously flown by Delta Air Lines for this journey.

Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner

Range: 8,786 miles/7,635 nautical miles/4,140 kilometers
Capacity: 290 passengers
Maximum Cruising Speed: Mach 0.85/652 mph
Engine: GEnx-1B/Trent 1000

Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner series comprises 3 midsize, wide-body, twin-engine jet airliners. Combined, the 787 series currently services over 170 nonstop flights worldwide. The 787-9, however, is the only Dreamliner to make it on the list of longest nonstop flights in the world.

Boeing says that its 787 series provides advantages. including higher distance range and fuel efficiency, more cargo volume, lower operating costs, and a more reliable aircraft.

The 787-9 is the aircraft of choice for all Qantas Perth-to-London and Melbourne-to-Dallas routes, and United’s Houston-to-Sydney flight.

Airbus A350-900ULR

Range: 11,163 miles/9,700 nautical miles/17,964 kilometers
Capacity: 161 (SQ configuration — premium economy and business class only)
Maximum Cruising Speed: Mach 0.89/683 mph
Engine: Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-84

Airbus introduced the A350 series in response to the success of Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner, and the A350-900 is the first member of the company’s Extra Wide Body, or XWB, a family of next-generation, high-efficiency, high-capacity passenger jets for long-haul flights.

The A350-900’s first test flight was in 2013, and it flew its first commercial flight (with Qatar Airways) in 2015. Currently, however, Singapore Airlines is the only airline to fly the A350-900ULR version of the -900.

That A350-900ULR variant (“ULR” for “Ultra Long Range”) is a lighter aircraft that can fly farther and is more cost-efficient than large double-decker jets like the 747 or A380. Because of the materials used, there’s also less maintenance required — an important aspect for global airlines. Passengers find the engine noise substantially quieter, too.

The main feature of the ULR is that the fuel tanks hold more fuel, critical for ultra-long-haul flights. In addition to extra fuel storage, there are aerodynamic improvements that allow the aircraft to serve routes that previously would have required a technical stop.

The A350-900ULR is the aircraft of choice for Singapore Airlines’ routes from Singapore to New York, Newark, and Los Angeles.

Airbus A350-1000

Range: 10,001 miles/8,700 nautical miles/16,112 kilometers
Capacity: 480 passengers maximum (327 on Qatar Airways)
Maximum Cruising Speed: Mach 0.89/683 mph
Engine: Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97

Qatar Airways launched the first A350-1000 route in February 2018, traveling from Doha, Qatar, to London with 46 Qsuites and 281 economy seats in a 3-3-3 configuration.

Measuring 23 feet longer than the A350-900, the fuel-efficient A350-1000 is the largest version of the A350. It can squeeze in more dedicated passenger space, has a more powerful engine, and fits in more comfort-focused technology like climate zones, improved air circulation and filtration, and ambient lighting designed to reduce jet lag.

With a maximum range that’s 1,000 nautical miles shorter than the A350-900ULR’s, the A350-1000 hasn’t received Airbus designation as a ULR model.

Qantas has ordered A350-1000s that it plans on putting into service starting in 2025. Singapore, which has today’s largest fleet of A350s, has standing orders with Airbus for dozens of A350s, with a clause that allows it to pick from either the -900 or -1000 variants closer to delivery.

Airbus A380-800

Range: 9,206 miles/8,000 nautical miles/14,800 kilometers
Capacity: 555 passengers maximum (489 on Emirates)
Maximum Cruising Speed: Mach 0.88/675 mph
Engine: Rolls-Royce Trent 900 or GE-Pratt & Whitney GP-7200 turbofans

Also called the Super Jumbo, the Airbus A380-800 is the largest commercial passenger airplane in the world. It’s a double-decker that began development all the way back in the 1990s as a direct challenger to the then-dominant Boeing 747 when it came to long-haul flights. Early company visions of the plane even included the possibility of onboard shops, restaurants, and casinos.

The A380-800, sometimes called the A388, was the passenger variant of the 2 A380 models Airbus originally offered. The other option was the freighter version, the A380F.

Singapore Airlines was the first airline to fly the A380 in October 2007, with Emirates eventually amassing the largest fleet of A380s and becoming the leading A380 customer by far, accounting for nearly half of all orders of the A380.

But the shifting realities of the industry didn’t mesh well with a jet even larger than the 747, and the last A380 rolled off the production line in 2021, eclipsed by smaller, more efficient planes like the A330, A350, and 787.

Final Thoughts

The competition for the top spot on the list of the longest nonstop flights in the world won’t end any time soon. The only question is: How will the airlines choose to get there?

Within the past few years, we’ve seen the final flight of the last U.S. carrier-operated Boeing 747, once the hallmark of long-haul flights. In 2021, we saw several carriers announce plans to move away from the behemoth A380 to save on fuel and match current passenger demands. Moving forward, will airlines shy away from enormous jets in search of slimmer, more efficient aircraft? Or will the so-called superjumbos also evolve, eventually providing a more efficient and profitable means of carrying passengers around the world?

From a points perspective, we certainly hope jumbo jets make a comeback at some point. The optimized business and first class cabins of the more upscale carriers are every miles chaser’s dream.

Rewarding your hard-earned miles with 17 hours in business class on a 787-9 is unbeatable.