If current schedule filings are to be believed, SkyTeam member Xiamen Air will soon be operating the world’s longest duration flight. However, I suspect there’s more to this story…
Xiamen Air’s 19hr20min New York to Fuzhou flight
Xiamen Air currently operates a twice weekly flight between New York (JFK) and Fuzhou (FOC) with a Boeing 787-9. This route has most recently been operating since 2024, and prior to that, the flight operated from 2017 until 2020.
As it currently stands, the flight from Fuzhou to New York is blocked at 14hr55min, while the flight from New York to Fuzhou is blocked at 16hr25min. At 7,770 miles, that’s roughly what you’d expect the block time to be, especially with this flight avoiding Russian airspace.
But here’s where it gets interesting — as of the start of the IATA winter season (in late October), the block time for the New York to Fuzhou flight increases drastically, to a staggering 19hr20min. The flight still shows as operating nonstop.
Based on the published schedule and block times, that makes this the longest duration nonstop flight in the world, beating out Singapore Airlines’ Newark (EWR) to Singapore (SIN) flight, which is blocked at 19hr10min.
Even though the New York to Fuzhou route doesn’t even rank in the top 20 longest distance flights in the world, it’s now scheduled to be the longest block time nonstop flight.
What’s actually going on with this Xiamen Air flight?
Many media outlets are reporting this New York to Fuzhou 19hr20min nonstop flight without much skepticism. And while it is true that the flight is currently filed that way, I can’t imagine that’s what’s actually going on here, because it just doesn’t make sense.
Yes, the jet stream is typically stronger in winter, making flights either faster or slower, depending on the direction they’re moving. But that doesn’t explain a three hour increase in the block time from one day to the next.
So I would guess what’s going on here is a combination of two factors. First, it seems likely that Xiamen Air is adding a refueling stop somewhere along the way, and just hasn’t updated its schedule correctly to reflect that.
That would make perfect sense. The flight is only operated twice per week, and I imagine with headwinds, the flight gets to the point where it’s potentially weight restricted pretty frequently. So it’s logical to add a fuel stop so that the airline can carry as much cargo and as many passengers as possible.
Second, I suspect the airline is adding some padding due to this flight’s horrible operation reliability. It’s an average of somewhere around an hour late, due to a combination of the long flight time plus departing late. So it makes sense to add some breathing room, especially for those passengers who may be connecting.
I could be wrong, but I would be surprised if there’s not a technical stop added here, because this just doesn’t otherwise make much sense.
Bottom line
Based on the schedule that Xiamen Air has currently filed, it would appear that the airline will soon operate the world’s longest nonstop flight in terms of duration, at 19hr20min, beating the world’s existing longest flight by 10 minutes.
While that is indeed what the schedule shows, I suspect there’s more to this story. Winds are strong in winter, and my guess is that the airline is adding a refueling stop along the way, so that it doesn’t have to materially weight restrict this flight. We’ll find out soon enough, but that’s what my money is on.
What do you make of this Xiamen Air flight?
