Cathay Pacific's New York to Hong Kong service has inadvertently become the world's longest commercial flight by distance, following a rerouting to avoid Russian airspace. The new path covers 16,618km, surpassing the previous record holder, Singapore Airlines' Singapore-New York route, by 1,269km.
The flight, operated by an Airbus A350-1000, now flies over the Atlantic Ocean, the UK, southern Europe and central Asia, taking around 17 hours. This change is due to Cathay Pacific, like many international airlines, avoiding Russian airspace after the country's invasion of Ukraine.
An airline spokesperson explained that the transatlantic option relies on strong seasonal tailwinds to keep flight time between 16 and 17 hours, making it more favourable than the transpacific route. The carrier is currently seeking permissions to overfly the airspaces of the nations involved.
This development follows Air New Zealand's announcement of a direct Auckland-New York route in September 2022, which will become the fourth longest commercial flight. Qantas's Project Sunrise flights from Sydney to London and New York, which would have been longer, have been delayed due to the pandemic.
