Ultra long-haul

See also: Longest flights and Flight length

Ultra-long-haul (also known as "ultra-long-range operations" ) refers to the duration of a flight (flight time) being "ultra long." IATA, ICAO, and IFALPA jointly define any flight scheduled to last over 16 hours as "Ultra Long".[1][2][3][4]

These flights usually follow a great circle route, often passing over a polar region. In some cases, non-stop ultra-long-haul routes could be less preferable to stopover flights as passengers on ultra-long-haul nonstop flights must sit in the aircraft for those long hours.[5] A low-oil-price environment favors the establishment and operation of ultra-long-haul flights.

Since 9 November 2020, Singapore Airlines Flights 23 and 24 has been the world's longest active commercial flight, between Singapore and New York JFK airport, covering 15,349 km (9,537 mi; 8,288 nmi) in around 18 hours and 40 minutes, operated by an Airbus A350-900ULR.[6]

  1. ^ "Fatigue Risk Management System (FRMS) Implementation Guide for Operators (IATA ICAO AFALPA)" (PDF). ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization). Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 July 2021. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  2. ^ "Fatigue Management Guide for Airline Operators (Second Edition, 2015) (IATA ICAO IFALPA)" (PDF). ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization). Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 March 2021. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  3. ^ "EASA "COMMENT RESPONSE DOCUMENT (CRD) CRD TO NPA2010-14"" (PDF). EASA European Aviation Safety Agency. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 July 2021. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  4. ^ "Fourth Workshop Yields Insights into Early Ultra-Long-Range Flight Experience" (PDF). Flight Safety Digest. 24 No 8-9 August-September 2005: 1–15. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 July 2021. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference 689a1618 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "Singapore Airlines To Begin Non-Stop Services To New York's JFK International Airport". Singapore Airlines. 20 October 2020. Archived from the original on 2 November 2021. Retrieved 6 July 2022.