Nearly two years after an 8,590-mile flight from Dubai to Panama City became the “world’s longest flight,” there’s a new route trying to claim that crown.
Qatar Airways now has a flight that goes 9,032 miles from the carrier’s home base of Doha to Auckland, New Zealand.
The airline announced what it calls a “historic” flight Sunday, after one its planes traveled more than 16 hours to its destination in Auckland.
The entire flight took about 16 hours and 10 minutes, USA Today reports, while the return flight will take about 17 hours and 30 minutes because of changing headwinds.
Qatar CEO Akbar Al Baker, who traveled on the inaugural flight, says the new trip will assist the company in expanding its network globally and in providing customers with options for business and leisure travel.
A look at Qatar’s site shows that an upcoming flight from Doha to Auckland would set customers back about $2,739 — or 9,975 Qatari Rial — for an economy value seat.
While most travelers can’t imagine spending more than a just a few hours with hundreds of strangers in tight quarters, extreme long-haul flights are becoming more prominent — if only for the title.
USA Today reports that Qatar’s new flight unseats Emirates, but not for the previously mentioned Dubai to Panama City trip. Instead, the company also had a 8,819 mile trip from Dubai to Auckland.
Additionally, other airlines are gunning for the title of longest flight. Air India and Singapore Airlines also dabble in the longest flight race.
Air India offers flight from Delhi to San Francisco, USA Today reports, that actually takes passengers on a polar route, lengthening the trip from 7,700 miles to more than 9,000. Singapore Airlines is reportedly working to launch a nonstop service from Singapore to New York in 2018 that would clock in at 9,500 miles.
by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist