When was the last time you boarded a flight with a stopover (as opposed to a non-stop flight)?
Unless your last flight was from Sydney to London, in which case you probably stopped in Bangkok or Singapore to stretch your legs before continuing your eternal journey, chances are your most recent flights have been non-stop.
This may seem totally natural to you, but not so many years ago, many flights used to hop, skip & jump from one city to another, until you finally reached your port of call.
The main reason for this gradual change is technological improvement. Over the years civilian aircraft giants Boeing and Airbus have steadily extended aircraft flight range.
Another reason is economic feasibility. Airlines (at least private ones) will launch a non-stop flight to a distant destination thousands of kilometers away only if the demand for such a flight is sufficiently high to fill planes. That is also the reason why we see a decline in non-stop flights in the last year, as the demand for flights in general falls, due to the global financial crisis.
Unless your last flight was from Sydney to London, in which case you probably stopped in Bangkok or Singapore to stretch your legs before continuing your eternal journey, chances are your most recent flights have been non-stop.
This may seem totally natural to you, but not so many years ago, many flights used to hop, skip & jump from one city to another, until you finally reached your port of call.
The main reason for this gradual change is technological improvement. Over the years civilian aircraft giants Boeing and Airbus have steadily extended aircraft flight range.
Another reason is economic feasibility. Airlines (at least private ones) will launch a non-stop flight to a distant destination thousands of kilometers away only if the demand for such a flight is sufficiently high to fill planes. That is also the reason why we see a decline in non-stop flights in the last year, as the demand for flights in general falls, due to the global financial crisis.
Partial History of Non-Stop Flights
- In 1961 the longest non-stop flight was from Tel Aviv to New York by El Al on a Boeing 707 aircraft (approximately 9250 kilometres/5800 miles) in 9 hours and 30 minutes.
- In 1976 the longest non-stop flight was from Sydney to San Francisco by Pan Am on a Boeing 747SP aircraft (~ 11950 km/7400 miles).
- In 1988 El Al broke once again the record by flying from Tel Aviv to Los Angeles (~ 12600 km/7600 miles) in 13 hours and 40 minutes.
- In 2001 Continental Airlines launched a non-stop flight from Newark to Hong Kong on a Boeing 777-200ER (~ 13000 km/8050 miles) with a duration of over 16 hours.
In general, long haul flights consume more fuel than flights to the same destination with layovers, despite the fact that : (1) the distance travelled is shorter, and (2) a lot of fuel is burned during takeoff and landing. This is because the weight of the aircraft is substantially higher, as the aircraft must carry enough fuel for the entire flight, and therefore needs even more fuel to carry the added weight...
Furthermore, the extra fuel stored in the plane decreases the available storage space for cargo and/or the number of passengers on board. Not surprisingly, airline charge higher fees for these flights, approximately 10% more than similar flights with layovers. Prices that many people are willing to pay to save a few precious hours.
There are other factors concerning long haul non-stop flight that should be taken into consideration:
The longest commercial non-stop flight to date was inaugurated in 2004 by Singapore Airlines from Newark to Singapore on an Airbus A340-500 with a flight time of almost 19 hours (~ 15350 km/9500 miles).
What will the future bring? It is rumored that Qantas is considering launching non-stop flights between Sydney and London. It seems that both Boeing and Airbus could offer longer-range versions of existing planes that could meet the necessary requirements. The flight time from London to Sydney would be 21 hours.
Furthermore, the extra fuel stored in the plane decreases the available storage space for cargo and/or the number of passengers on board. Not surprisingly, airline charge higher fees for these flights, approximately 10% more than similar flights with layovers. Prices that many people are willing to pay to save a few precious hours.
There are other factors concerning long haul non-stop flight that should be taken into consideration:
- Environmentally speaking, long non-stop flights are worse for the environment, as they burn more fuel and thus emit more carbon. I found a single article on this matter with which I disagree, but I am no expert. You are more than welcome on judging yourself.
- The risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is said to increase with the duration of the flight. As the length of non-stop flights increase, health risks will probably increase, and new risks may appear, as the time of exposure to lower oxygen levels ascends.
The longest commercial non-stop flight to date was inaugurated in 2004 by Singapore Airlines from Newark to Singapore on an Airbus A340-500 with a flight time of almost 19 hours (~ 15350 km/9500 miles).
What will the future bring? It is rumored that Qantas is considering launching non-stop flights between Sydney and London. It seems that both Boeing and Airbus could offer longer-range versions of existing planes that could meet the necessary requirements. The flight time from London to Sydney would be 21 hours.
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