The world's longest and shortest scheduled flights
The first scheduled flight, made in 1910, connected Paris to London. It was Italy's turn only 16 years later when, in [...]
Volotea
Singapore Airlines
Qantas
The first scheduled flight, carried out in 1910, connected Paris to London. Italy's turn came only sixteen years later when, in 1926, the first plane (a seaplane) took to the air along the Turin-Pavia-Venice-Trieste route. Since then, aviation has come a long way: intercontinental flights were born, the "giants of the skies" saw the light of day, hundreds and hundreds of new routes were opened, and many records were broken.
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But which are the longest scheduled flights in the world and which are the shortest?
The world's longest airline flights
Singapore - New York (16,668 km, 18 hours and 45 minutes)
Inaugurated on October 11, 2018, the flight Singapore - New York Is the record to beat: 18 hours and 45 minutes, which sometimes number 19, to cover the distance between Singapore and Newark Airport (as of the Nov. 9 flight will be operated to JFK and no longer in Newark). Signed Singapore Airlines, travel is on board the Airbus A350-900 ULR (ultra long range). And there is no traditional Economy Class: only Business and Premium Economy, for some extra ease.
The plane, configured to accommodate 161 passengers, houses two pilots, two co-pilots and thirteen stewardesses and stewards. Passengers are offered 1,200 hours of movies and entertainment programming and LED lighting whose color effects aim to mitigate jet-lag.
Auckland - Doha (14,535 km, 17 hours and 50 minutes)
For the first time, the directed by Auckland (New Zealand) to Doha (Qatar) flew on February 4, 2017. Operating it, aboard a Boeing 777-200, the Qatar Airways. Seats this time are 217 in Economy Class and 42 in Business, and we switch They cross two hemispheres, three continents, five countries and ten time zones.
Perth - London (14,500 km, 17 hours and 25 minutes)
From the capital of Western Australia to the capital of Britain, once again nonstop and once again by Qantas. On March 25, 2018, the first direct flight took off. Between Perth and London, 14,500 km to be covered in nearly 17 1/2 hours. The plane is a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, and every aspect (lighting, cabin pressurization, and menu) was studied in collaboration with the University of Sydney.
By 2023, a new route was to set an even crazier record: in fact, Qantas intended to make operational the direct Sydney - London connection, 19 hours and 19 minutes for a total of 17,800 kilometers. Last November, the Australian company "inaugurated" the route involving 52 passengers including insiders, scientists and researchers. The goal? To study solutions for a journey that, while extremely long, is as stress-free as possible. Unfortunately, for the time being the "project sunrise" seems to have been abandoned, perhaps for good.
The world's shortest airline flights
Westray - Papa Westray (2.7 km, 1.5 minutes)
How is it possible to stay airborne for just over a minute? To find out, just fly to the Scottish archipelago of the Orkney. Here, the regional company Loganair flies from Westray a Papa Westray in a minute and a half (excluding takeoff and landing times). Just under 20 euros, that's the cost of the ticket, to enjoy an experience that has the unbelievable. Especially when the wind is in your favor, in the air you can stay just ... 47 seconds!
St. Gallen - Friedrichshafen (20 km, 8 minutes)
Operated by the microscopic People's Viennaline company, the flight between St. Gallen (Switzerland) and Cologne (Germany) is operated with an Embraer 170. What makes this flight one of the shortest in the world, however, is the stopover in Friedrichshafen, on the northern shore of Lake Constance: 8 minutes of flight time, with a total of 66 kilometers flown.
Sant Maarten - Anguilla (19 km, 10 minutes)
The arrival at Sant Maarten, a Caribbean nation partly belonging to the Netherlands, is among the most scenic in the world. But it is from here that a very short flight departs, bound for Eel (British Overseas Territory, Eastern Caribbean): just 10 minutes to cover 12 miles, from Princess Juliana International Airport to Anguilla's Clayton J. Lloyd International Airport.
What about in Italy?
The longest route is the one connecting the Caravaggio Orio al Serio International Airport in Bergamo a Lampedusa: two-hour flights, operated by several airlines (the main one is Volotea), to cover just over 1,100 kilometers.
The shortest, however, connects Lazio to Sardinia: Rome Fiumicino to Olbia, depending on the wind direction, it can take between 45 and 55 minutes. A possible test case, for those who are terrified of flying.
