Cathay Pacific Plans World's Longest Flight to Avoid Russia
A Cathay Pacific flight prepares to land.
© Shutterstock
A Cathay Pacific flight prepares to land.
© Shutterstock
The airline will notch up a new world record for the longest commercial flight by distance after rerouting its New York to Hong Kong flights to avoid Russian airspace.
Cathay Pacific now plans to fly from John F. Kennedy International airport over the Atlantic Ocean, the UK, southern Europe and Asia, according to a memo to the airline's staff seen by Bloomberg.
The 16,618 km/10,326 mile route would eclipse Singapore Airlines’ New York service, which The Guardian calculates is 15,343km/9,534 miles although the flying time is actually longer than Cathay Pacific's.
Since Russia invaded neighbouring Ukraine at the end of February, most airlines flying between Europe and Asia have moved their routes south to avoid Russian airspace. Many carriers have also cancelled routes to Russian destinations.
Cathay Pacific has been struggling with strict Covid-19 rules in its home base of Hong Kong. However the SAR government announced last week that the hotel quarantine period for arrivals would be cut to a week and flight bans lifted from April 1.
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