More than 19 hours between New York and Fuzhou: does the Chinese company Xiamen Air really offer the longest flight in the world?

While air travel is increasingly criticized for its impact on the environment, some companies are trying to stand out by claiming to be the one that offers the longest route in the world in…

It was the Chinese operator Xiamen Air that recently relaunched hostilities by announcing that its flight between New York and the Chinese city of Fuzhou on a Boeing 787 now holds this record with a flight duration of 19 hours and 20 minutes (for 14,390 kilometers). Enough to surpass the historic holder of this title, Singapore Airlines with its New York (Newark)-Singapore flight, a direct flight with an average duration of 18 hours and 7 minutes to travel 15,345 kilometers.

Our Italian colleagues from Corriere della Serra I wanted to verify this statement. And the verdict is clear: the Chinese company seems to have slightly tweaked its figures described as “overestimated” to generate expectation.

Effective flight time versus “lock time”

The first newspaper points out that Xiamen Air’s summer schedules for this route announce a flight duration of 16 hours and 25 minutes. And yet, the winter schedules for the same route indicate 19 hours and 20 minutes, three hours longer. How to explain this difference? According to the experts interviewed, this is “unrealistic” for a direct flight. Thus, either the Chinese company is stopping to refuel or the flight time has been artificially inflated.

This practice is legal, when a company presents a schedule, it is called “blocking time”, it includes waiting and taxiing before takeoff and taxiing and waiting at the gate upon arrival. This “blocking time” is usually generous enough to protect against complaints about delays. However, as the Italian newspaper points out, Xiamen Air flights arrive on average one hour late. In conclusion, if we take into account the effective direct flight time, the New York (Newark)-Singapore line remains in the lead, ahead of:

• New York (JFK)-Singapore (5:50 p.m.),
• London (Heathrow)–Perth (with Qantas) in 16 hours 48
• and New York (JFK)-Fuzhou, which actually lasts, therefore, 16 hours and 37 minutes.

If Xiamen Air remains behind Singapore Airlines in this curious competition, the ranking could soon change. In fact, the Australian Qantas will offer direct flights between Sydney, Melbourne and London in 2027 with Airbus A350 equipped with an additional fuel tank. Non-stop, these flights will last between 19 and 20 hours. Good luck travelers…