This list offlight distance records contains only those set without anymid-air refueling.
| Year | Date | Distance | Pilot | Aircraft | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | February 8–12, 2006 | 41,467.46 km | Steve Fossett | GlobalFlyer | Single pilot (Steve Fossett) flight.[1][2] |
| 1986 | December 14–23, 1986 | 40,212.14 km | Richard Glenn Rutan andJeana Yeager | Rutan Voyager | Circumnavigation.Fédération Aéronautique Internationale record holder up to 2006 (current class holder).[3] |
| 1962 | January 10–11, 1962 | 20,168.78 km (12532.3 mi) | Major Clyde P. Evely and crew | Boeing B-52H Stratofortress | From Kadena AB, Okinawa, to Torrejon AB, Spain, via Tokyo, Seattle, Fort Worth, Washington and the Azores[4] |
| 1946 | September 29 – October 2, 1946 | 18,083.6 km | CDRTom Davies pilot, Cdr.Eugene Rankin (co-pilot) and two crew | P2V-1 Neptune | FromPerth, Australia toColumbus, Ohio, US |
| 1944 | July 2, 1944 | 16,435 km | Imperial Japanese Army Air Service (Omata, Tanaka, Shimazaki, Sakamoto, Motimatsu, Habiro) | Tachikawa Ki-77 | FromXinjing toBaicheng, China (closed circuit) |
| 1939 | August 1, 1939 | 12,936 km (8,038 mi) | Regia Aeronautica: Angelo Tondi, Riccardo Dogasso, Ferruccio Vignoni, Aldo Staiano | Savoia-Marchetti SM.82 | Closed-circuit world record |
| 1945 | November 20, 1945 | 12,739.6 km | U.S. Army Air Forces;C. S. Irvine + crew of 9 | Boeing B-29 Superfortress | From Guam to Washington |
| 1938 | November 5–7, 1938 | 11,526 km (7,162 mi) | Royal Air Force Long Range Development Unit;R. Kellett,H.A.V. Hogan andA. N. Combe (first pilots) + crew of two (also qualified pilots) in each aircraft | Vickers Wellesley | From Ismailia, Egypt, toDarwin, Northern Territory, in Australia; three aircraft flew in formation, Hogan landed to refuel at Koepang (500 miles short of Darwin, Australia), the other two landed atDarwin, Northern Territory.[5] |
| 1938 | May 13–15, 1938 | 11,651.011 km | Yuzoh Fujita + crew (Japan) | Koken-ki | Three-corner course over Japan. Closed-circuit record.[6] |
| 1937 | July 12–14, 1937 | 10,148 km (6,306 mi) | Mikhail Gromov + crew (Soviet Union) | Tupolev ANT-25 | From Moscow to San Jacinto [ru], California, US |
| 1933 | August 5–7, 1933 | 9,104 km (5,657 mi) | Maurice Rossi andPaul Codos (France) | Blériot 110 F-ALCC | FromFloyd Bennett Field, New York to Rayak, Syria |
| 1933 | February 6–8 | 8,544 km (5,309 mi) | Royal Air Force Long Range Development Unit;O. R. Gayford andGilbert Nicholetts | Fairey Long-range MonoplaneK1991 | From Cranwell, UK, toWalvis Bay, South Africa |
| 1931 | October 5 | 8,851 km | Clyde Pangborn andHugh Herndon | Bellanca CH-400 orBellanca J-300 Long Distance SpecialMiss Veedol | From Wenatchee Washington to Misawa Japan |
| 1931 | July 28–31 | 8,066 km | Russell Boardman andJohn Polando | Bellanca J-300 SpecialCape CodNR761W | FromFloyd Bennett Field to Yeşilköy Airport -present dayAtatürk Airport-,Istanbul[7] |
| 1929 | December 15–19, 1929 | 8,029.44 km | Dieudonné Costes and P. Codas | Breguet 19 Super BidonPoint d'Interrogation | Closed-circuit record.[8][9] |
| 1929 | September 27–29, 1929 | 7,905.140 km | Dieudonne Costes andMaurice Bellonte | Breguet 19 Super BidonPoint d'Interrogation | Paris toQiqihar, China.[10] |
| 1928 | July 3–5, 1928 | 7,188.26 km | Arturo Ferrarin and Carlo del Prete | Savoia Marchetti S.64 | From Montecelio (Italy) to Touros (Brasil). Distance in a straight line. FAI Database ID#9108 |
| 1927 | June 28–29 | 3,862.43 km | Albert Francis Hegenberger andLester Maitland | Fokker F.VII | From California to Hawaii, the longest open sea flight up to that date, in the "Bird of Paradise". They received the Mackey Trophy and theDistinguished Flying Cross from PresidentCalvin Coolidge for this achievement.[11] |
| 1927 | May 20–21, 1927 | 5,809 km | Charles Lindbergh | Ryan NYP,Spirit of St. Louis | Single pilot flight, New York to Paris[12][13] |
| 1926 | October 28–29, 1926 | 5,396 km (3,353 mi) | Dieudonné Costes and Jean Rignot | Breguet 19 GR | From Paris–Le Bourget Airport to Djask, Iran[14][15] |
| 1926 | August 31 – September 1, 1926 | 5,174 km | Léon Challe andRené Weiser | Breguet 19 GR | FromParis–Le Bourget Airport toBandar Abbas[14][16] |
| 1926 | July 14–15, 1926 | 4715.90 km | André Girier and François Dordilly | Breguet 19 GR | From Paris toOmsk[14][17] |
| 1926 | June 26–27, 1926 | 4313 km | Ludovic Arrachart and Paul Arrachart | Potez 28 | From Paris toBasrah, Iraq[18][19] |
| 1925 | August 30–31, 1925 | 3,206 km | CDRJohn Rodgers (USN) | PN-9 Flying Boat | FromSan Francisco andHonolulu by Seaplane over open water without visual navigational aides.[20][21] |
| 1925 | August 7–9, 1925 | 4,400 km | Maurice Drouhin andJules Landry | Farman F.62 Goliath | Closed circuitChartres–Étampes–Toussus–Chartres.[22][23] |
| 1925 | February 3–4, 1925 | 3,166.30 km | Ludovic Arrachart and Henry Lemaitre | Breguet 19 | Distance in a straight line record. Étampes–Villa Cisneros.[24][25] |
| 1923 | April 16–17, 1923 | 4,050 km | Oakley G. Kelly andJohn A. Macready | Fokker T.2 | Closed circuit around Dayton, Ohio[26][27] |
| 1920 | June 3–4, 1920 | 1,915.2 km | L Boussoutrot and J Bernard | Farman Goliath | Closed-circuit record[28] |
| 1919 | June 14–15, 1919 | 3,040 km | John Alcock andArthur Brown | Vickers Vimy | Flew non-stop fromSt. John's, Newfoundland, toClifden, Connemara, in 15 hours 57 minutes |
| 1914 | February 7, 1914 | 1,699 km | Karl Ingold | Mercedes Aviatik-Pfeil[29] | He flew continuously from 7:35 am until 11:55 pm covering 1,056 miles in 16 hours and 20 minutes.[30] |
| 1903 | December 17, 1903 | 279 m | Wilbur Wright | Wright Flyer | 59 seconds |
| 1903 | December 17, 1903 | 39 m | Orville Wright | Wright Flyer | 12 seconds |
| 1852 | September 24, 1852 | 27.36 km (17 miles) | Henri Giffard | The Giffard airship | Over an hour[31] |
 | This article needs to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(November 2018) |
| Year | Date | Distance | Pilot | Aircraft | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | November 9, 2005 | 21,601 km[32] | Suzanna Darcy-Henneman, Richard Austin, John Cashman, Mathew Mathew, Frank P. Santoni Jr, Philip Schultz, Rodney Skaar[32] | Boeing777-200LR | Hong Kong International Airport toLondon Heathrow Airport the long way round taking 22 hours, 22 minutes[33][34] |
| 1997 | April 2, 1997 | 20,045 km[35] | Frank P. Santoni Jr, Richard Austin, John Cashman, Charles Hovlano, Joseph McDonald, James McRoberts, Rodney Skaar[35] | Boeing 777-200ER | Malaysia Airlines delivery flight fromBoeing Field,Seattle toKuala Lumpur International Airport in 21 hours and 23 minutes.[36][37] |
| 1993 | June 16 to 18, 1993 | 19,246 km[38][39] | Pierre Baud, Gérard Guyot, Nicholas "Nick" Warner, Bernard Ziegler[39] | Airbus A340-200 | Set two new records as it flew an around the world route. First flying 19,089 kilometres (11,861 mi; 10,307 nmi) fromParis-Le Bourget Airport toAuckland, New Zealand in 21 hours and 32 minutes.[40] After a 5 hour layover, the flight continued east-bound on a slightly longer route back to Paris-Le Bourget flying 19,246 kilometres (11,959 mi; 10,392 nmi), covering a great circle distance of 18,541 kilometres (11,521 mi; 10,011 nmi)[41] in 21 hours and 46 minutes.[42][43][44] |
| 2011 | December 6, 2011 | 19,142 km[45][46] | Michael Carriker, Chad Lundy, Gregory McCann, William Roberson, Rodney Skaar, Christine Walsh[45] | Boeing 787-8 | Boeing Field toShahjalal International Airport, Dhaka, Bangladesh in 21 hours and 43 minutes on a trans-atlantic eastward route.[47] |
| 2020 | April 14 to 15, 2020 | 18,209 km | Boeing 777-300ER | Virgin Australia ferry flight fromCharles de Gaulle Airport toBrisbane Airport in 19 hours and 45 minutes; returning after evacuating French citizens from New Zealand due to theCOVID-19 pandemic. | |
| 2019 | November 14 to 15, 2019 | 17,750 km | Boeing 787-9 | Qantas BetweenLondon Heathrow Airport andSydney International Airport in 19 hours and 19 minutes.[48] | |
| 2013 | June 6, 2013 | 17,312 km | Airbus A330-200 | Delta Air Lines ferry flight between Singapore and Atlanta in 18 hours and 34 minutes; returning from extensive cabin renovations. | |
| 1989 | August 16 to 17, 1989 | 17,039 km[49] | David Massy-Greene[49] | Boeing 747-400 | Qantas delivery flight fromLondon Heathrow Airport toSydney International Airport in 20 hours and 9 minutes.[50][51] |
| 2002 | December 24, 2002 | 16,901 km[52] | Bruce Simpson, David Collier, Bruce Van Eyle, James Peach[52] | Airbus A330-200 | Qantas between Toulouse and Melbourne in 20 hours 4 minutes.[53] |
| 2004 | June 28, 2004 | 16,467 km[54] | Airbus A340-500 | Singapore Airlines between Singapore and Newark, New Jersey, in a scheduled time of 18 hours 20 minutes covering approximately 16,600 km. It was the longest regularly scheduled commercial flight except until termination on November 23, 2013, and relaunch on October 18, 2018[55] until being surpassed in 2020. | |
| 2019 | October 18 to 20, 2019 | 16,200 km | Boeing 787-9 | Qantas between New York and Sydney in 19 hours 16 minutes.[56][57] | |
| 2003 | November 5, 2003 | 15,300 km | Boeing 777-300ER | Boeing Company between Sydney and Recife, Brazil in 18 hours 25 minutes.ETOPS test flight.[58] | |
| 2017 | February 5, 2017 | 14,535 km | Boeing 777-200LR | Qatar Airways between Doha and Auckland in 16 hours 10 minutes, formerly the world's longest commercial flight. | |
| 2004 | February 3, 2004 | 14,093 km | Airbus A340-500 | Singapore Airlines between Singapore and Los Angeles in 14 hours 42 minutes.[55] | |
| 1988 | September 17, 1988 | 14,042 km | Boeing 767-200ER | Air Mauritius between Halifax and Mauritius in 16 hours and 27 minutes. |
TheLoganair Westray to Papa Westray route and its return flight make up the shortest flight distance for any scheduled air carrier service. The route is 2.8 km (1.7 miles), and travel time, including taxi, is usually less than two minutes. The route is served byLoganair airlines'Britten-Norman Islander aircraft and links the island of Westray and the town of Kirkwall, on the Orkney Islands in Scotland. This record was established when service began in 1967, and it remains in effect as of December 2022.[59][60]
| Date | Measurement | Person | Aircraft | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 21, 2003 | 3,008.8 km | Klaus Ohlmann andKarl Rabeder | Schempp-Hirth Nimbus-4 | Thegliding flight consisted of four legs along the eastern side of theAndes mountain range. The flight time of 15h 8m giving an average speed of almost exactly 200 km/h.[61][62] |
| March 21, 1999 | 40,814 km | Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones | Breitling Orbiter | Distance record for aballoon |
| January 31, 2015 | 10,711 km | Troy Bradley and Leonid Tiukhtyaev | Two Eagles Balloon | Distance record for a straightgas balloon |
| April 23, 1988 | 115.11 km | Kanellos Kanellopoulos | Daedalus 88 | Straight distance record forHumanpowered aeroplane. This record was achieved by flying fromIraklion toSantorini Island for 3 h 54 min 59 sec.[63][64] |
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