The Longest and Most Famous International Flight Routes from the USA

The Longest and Most Famous International Flight Routes from the USA

Singapore Airlines A350-900ULR at New York JFK. Photo: Pranav Srikanth, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Key Takeaways

• The world's longest scheduled commercial flight departs the USA: Singapore Airlines' Newark-Singapore route covers 9,534 miles and takes up to 18 hours 45 minutes westbound (Flightradar24).
• New York-London Heathrow is the busiest international route connected to the USA, and the only transatlantic route among the world's top-10 busiest, with 4.0 million scheduled seats in 2025 (OAG).
• Qantas's Dallas-Sydney route and Delta's Atlanta-Johannesburg route are the only nonstop links from the USA to Australia and mainland Africa, respectively, each running roughly 15 to 17 hours.
• Flight duration on the same route can vary by an hour or more depending on direction — Newark-Singapore runs about an hour longer westbound than eastbound because of jet stream headwinds.
• Flights over 9 hours require augmented flight crews under FAA rules, with pilots rotating through onboard rest compartments so no one exceeds federal flight-time limits (FAA).

Some international routes from the USA aren't just long — they're record-setting, technically demanding, or simply the busiest of their kind in the world. This is a guide to those routes: which one currently holds the title of the world's longest flight, which route moves more passengers than any other transatlantic connection, and what it actually takes to operate a flight that stays airborne for the better part of a day.

The World's Longest Flight Departs From Newark

Singapore Airlines operates the world's longest scheduled nonstop commercial flight between Newark and Singapore: a great-circle distance of 9,534 miles (15,344 km), with a scheduled block time of up to 18 hours 45 minutes westbound against headwinds, or about 17 hours 45 minutes eastbound with a tailwind (Flightradar24). Singapore Airlines also flies the same distance-class route from JFK, operating roughly 10 times a week — making it the longest flight in the world that operates more than once daily somewhere in its network.

The aircraft that makes this possible is a specialized version of the Airbus A350: the A350-900ULR carries only 161 seats (67 business class, 94 premium economy) and deliberately no economy cabin, trading passenger volume for the fuel capacity an 18-hour flight demands. The tradeoff has gotten dramatically more efficient over time — Singapore Airlines flew this same route with an Airbus A340-500 from 2004 to 2013, an aircraft that needed roughly 222,000 liters of fuel versus the A350-900ULR's 165,000-liter capacity for a comparable range.

The Busiest International Route Isn't the Longest

Distance and passenger volume are different contests, and New York-London wins the second one outright. JFK to London Heathrow logged 4.0 million scheduled seats in full-year 2025 — down slightly from 2024 but still 4% above 2019 levels — making it the only transatlantic route in the world's top-10 busiest international routes, and the top USA-Europe connection by a clear margin (OAG, Dec 2025). OAG's methodology counts scheduled seats in both directions across the full year, the standard industry measure for route capacity.

Heathrow Terminal 3. Photo: Richard Cooke, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0).

The route's dominance isn't new. Pan Am operated the first scheduled transatlantic passenger air service in June 1939, flying a northern route via Newfoundland and Ireland. Pan Am's transatlantic network, including its JFK hub, passed to Delta after Pan Am's bankruptcy in December 1991 — Delta formally took over the routes on November 1, 1991 (Delta Flight Museum). It's a historical lineage rather than one continuously operated flight, but it places the JFK-London corridor among the oldest continuously contested pieces of aviation real estate in commercial history.

Other Routes Worth Knowing

Qantas Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. Photo: Adam Moreira, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Qantas operates the only nonstop route between the USA and Australia from a non-coastal gateway: Dallas-Fort Worth to Sydney, roughly 8,575 miles and about 17 hours, flown on a Boeing 787-9 seven times a week. Delta's Atlanta-Johannesburg route, at roughly 8,435 miles and 15 to 16 hours on an Airbus A350-900, is the only nonstop connection between the USA and mainland Africa, operated daily.

United Airlines Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. Photo: Bill Abbott, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0).

United's San Francisco-Singapore route, at 8,466 miles, is the longest currently operating route by any US carrier — United briefly held an even longer record with a Los Angeles-Singapore route launched in 2017, but discontinued that specific route in October 2018, so it's worth knowing it's no longer flying if you see it referenced in older coverage.

Also worth watching: Qantas's long-planned "Project Sunrise" would fly nonstop from Sydney to New York and London, a route reported at roughly 19-22 hours depending on direction. It's been discussed in aviation trade press for several years with the launch timeline shifting more than once — treat any specific launch year you see as unconfirmed until Qantas itself announces a firm date.

Why the Same Route Takes Different Amounts of Time

Jet stream winds explain most of the gap: flying west against the prevailing jet stream costs time and fuel, while flying east with it saves both. The effect compounds on the longest routes, which is why Singapore Airlines' westbound Newark departure runs about an hour longer than its eastbound counterpart on the same city pair.

How Airlines Legally Operate Flights This Long

A flight scheduled for 9 hours or more triggers specific FAA crew-rest requirements: 11 consecutive hours of rest for the crew under 14 CFR Part 117, and on the longest ultra-long-haul routes, an augmented flight crew of three or more pilots who rotate through onboard rest compartments so no individual pilot exceeds federal flight-time limits (FAA; eCFR, 14 CFR Part 117). It's part of why ultra-long-haul aircraft configurations sacrifice passenger capacity — some of that space goes to crew rest facilities that a shorter flight doesn't need.

For most travelers, the practical takeaway isn't which record a route holds — it's how cabin choice changes on a flight this long. See our cabin-class comparison for how economy, premium economy, and business class trade off on an overnight or ultra-long-haul leg, and our best-time-to-book guide for how booking windows differ by region on routes like these.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the longest nonstop flight from the USA?

Singapore Airlines' Newark-Singapore route, at 9,534 miles and up to 18 hours 45 minutes, is the world's longest scheduled nonstop commercial flight and departs from the USA (Flightradar24).

What is the busiest international flight route connected to the USA?

New York JFK to London Heathrow, with 4.0 million scheduled seats in 2025 — the only transatlantic route among the world's top-10 busiest international routes (OAG).

Is there a nonstop flight from the USA to Australia?

Yes. Qantas flies nonstop between Dallas-Fort Worth and Sydney, roughly 8,575 miles and about 17 hours, seven times a week on a Boeing 787-9.

Why does the same flight take longer in one direction than the other?

Jet stream winds. Flying against the prevailing jet stream (typically westbound on US-Asia routes) takes longer than flying with it, and the effect is most pronounced on the longest routes — Newark-Singapore runs about an hour longer westbound than eastbound.

How do pilots fly a plane for 17 or 18 hours straight?

They don't fly the whole time solo. Flights scheduled 9 hours or longer require FAA-mandated crew rest, and the longest routes use an augmented crew of three or more pilots who rotate through onboard rest compartments so no individual exceeds federal flight-time limits.

Continue Learning

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• Talk to a travel expert

About the author: Srikanth Borra is a Senior International Travel Consultant at Voldeluxe with nine years of experience booking long-haul itineraries across 600+ airline partners worldwide.

Published September 13, 2026. Route distances, durations, and operating status change as airlines adjust their networks — confirm current schedules directly with the airline before booking.