More and more airlines have opted to operate long-haul narrow-body flights. This is apparent on my recent JetBlue A321LR flight across the Atlantic. The Airbus A321neo, including the LR and Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, is already used widely to operate long-haul narrow-body flights.
Long-haul narrow-body flights typically have lower per trip costs than widebody aircraft. They’re easier to fill during the low season and can operate from secondary or tertiary cities where demand is limited.
In this post, we share the World’s longest non-stop flights operated by narrow-body aircraft from Airbus and Boeing.
*Note that all routes are ranked by “great circle” distance.
Airbus A220-300
Route: Riga-Dubai, Flight BT791
Airline: airBaltic
Flight Distance: 4,320 km (2,333 NMI)
Flight Time: 6 Hours, 25 Minutes
Airbus A319
Route: Khabarovsk-Yekaterinburg, Flight U6174
Airline: Ural Airlines
Flight Distance: 4,862 km (2,625 NMI)
Flight Time: 7 Hours, 05 Minutes
Airbus A320neo
Route: Moscow Domodedovo-Blagoveshchensk, Flight U6349 & Flight S73061
Airline: Ural Airlines, S7 Airlines
Flight Distance: 5,620 km (3,035 NMI)
Flight Time: 7 Hours, 20 Minutes
Airbus A321neo
Route: Belem-Lisbon, Flight TP47
Airline: TAP Air Portugal
Flight Distance: 5,996 km (3,237 NMI)
Flight Time: 7 Hours, 50 Minutes
Boeing 737 NG (737-800)
Route: Panama City-Rio de Janeiro Galeao, Flight CM218
Airline: Copa Airlines
Flight Distance: 5,286 km (2,854 NMI)
Flight Time: 7 Hours, 15 Minutes
Boeing 737 MAX
Route: Keflavik-Seattle, Flight FI681
Airline: Icelandair
Flight Distance: 5,829 km (3,147 NMI)
Flight Time: 7 Hours, 50 Minutes
Boeing 757-200
Route: Denver-Keflavik, Flight FI670
Airline: Icelandair
Flight Distance: 5,742 km (3,100 NMI)
Flight Time: 7 Hours, 15 Minutes
Boeing 757-300
Route: Los Angeles-Honolulu
Airline: Delta Airlines Flight DL303, United Airlines Flight UA1224
Flight Distance: 4,113 km (2,221 NMI)
Flight Time: 5 Hours, 45 Minutes
The Airbus A321neo operates the longest non-stop narrow-body long-haul flight. The addition of the Airbus A321XLR will further boost the operation of long-haul narrow-body flights in the near future.
Have you ever flown on any of these flights mentioned above? What was your longest narrow-body flight? Let us know in the comments below.
My longest 757-200 on now-defunct Mexicana Airlines, Mexico City to Buenos Aires, mid 2000s.
Try that for size.
How come a 707-320B in 1962 could fly longer than almost all narrow body planes of today? Incredible!
At 2473 nm Alaska Air’s “daily” flight to and from Anchorage (ANC) to Chicago (ORD) belongs on this list?
I flew from Bogota to Rio in Avianca’s A319… More than 6 hrs…
What about the 8.5 hours from Panama City to SFO on a Boeing 737?
There is something about these long haul narrow-body flights that feels both old and new at the same time. Before the Boeing 747 entered service in 1970, all commercial airline flights from short to long haul were on narrow body planes. However, the modern trend of long haul narrow-body flights started with the ETOPS standards being lengthened since they determine how far twin engine aircraft can be from the nearest emergency diversion airport. This same trend also led to the rise of mega twin jets such as the Boeing 777 and 787, and Airbus A330 and A350 for ultra long haul flights, and the demise of four engine aircraft like the 747, A340, and A380. If weren’t for ETOPS extensions, you would not be seeing these trans-oceanic twin jet crossings from narrow to wide body today.
I just sat on a 737 Max Turkish Air flight TK603 which was IST-DAR and almost an hour longer than the Riga-Doh flight mentioned on this list at 7:20… Might be worth replacing that one on the list!
We categorize longest flight by each aircraft type.
I think Philippine Airlines A321 Manila to Sydney is farther. Flight time of 8Hrs 15 Min. 2 Class configuration.
Mind this was a Wardair Canada B707 but it was from Toronto to Honolulu and airborne time was a long 10 hours 16 minutes plus almost another 45 minutes on the ground taxiing,a great airline wish it was still around would bet any of those flying today.
My longest flight from Miami, FL to Doha, Qatar. was a hell of a flight. very long, however, the long hours it was very nice and comfortable with Qatar Airways.
Copa Airlines has flights with 738MAX (previously with 738) from PTY to SCL, BUE and MVD longer than mentioned above.
Agreed. Copa has Panama to porto alegre which is also longer
My longest was EWR-TXL on UA, 3,980 miles. Hated this Berlin flight, mostly because I was in the back of the plane and my company wouldn’t pay for a front seat. I try to book away from 757s over 3 hours. UA also doesn’t enough business class seats on these overnight flights. I’ve flown 4 million miles and don’t like the long-haul narrowbody trend, but I’d fly it with JetBlue.
This one also very long
Panama (PTY) to Montevideo (MVD) 7+ hours – 737 MAX9
My longest narrow body flight was ORY – LAX on a 707 in 1964. 707 is a quad jet but a narrow body regardless ..
My longest NB flight so far is 19.6.2018 ANC-IAH on B737-900ER UA2215 N38424 🙁 🙁
Pre pandemic Philippine airlines sometimes flew a321lr Sydney to manila that’s 6230 km
LA to Honolulu isn’t all that long and definitely isn’t among the longest narrow-body routes. For example, United operates Newark to Porto (Portugal) which is about 1300 miles longer, with a 757. Dulles-London (the daytime flight) is similar. United used to operate a ton of 757 flights out of Newark (and some out of Washington-Dulles) to secondary destinations in Europe, all in the 7-hour range.
Sorry, that should be 1300 km longer, not miles. But those transatlantic 757 routes are still a heck of a lot longer than LAX-HNL.
It is the longest B757-300. We list by aircraft type.
I have to laugh at these narrow body flight horror stories. You really havent lived till you’ve flown a fully loaded 250 pax DC-8-63 nonstop from Dallas to Rome, or an all coach 707 from Keflavic to San Francisco.
John,
I think I’m gonna have to agree with you on that classic DC-8. In January of 1980 I got on one in Luxembourg bound for JFK with a stopover in Keflavik. Man, we were packed in there like sardines. It wasn’t the fanciest bird in the sky, but man a workhorse it was. Please tell me about your DC-8 experience, I would really like to hear your story.
Bruce Courtney:
Not letting me respond!! Are you pn facebook?
Or an email,
We flew the DEN-KEF 757-200 flight back in 2016. Very cool!
My longest narrow body flight was with TAP air Portugal from Lisbon to Montreal. It was on a 3 month old A321LR. What an amazing plane and so comfortable.
I also did a flight in 2018 with United Airlines from NYC to Porto. Very fun flight. The power that plane packs on the take off is impressive
Lisboa to Philadelphia and return on B757-200 USAir
Lisboa to Philadelphia and return on B757-200 USAir
My longest Narrow body was BRU to PHL and PHL to BRU on US airways in 2011 on a B757-200.
I flew the a united refurbished 757200 from Newark yo Lima Peru two years a go. It took us around 8 hours
My longest narrow-body flight was SAS flight from SVG(Stavanger Norway) to IAH (Houston u’s) in an B737 all business seat. Trip 10 1/2 hours
This was a very popular route during the oil days!
i did fly with the same plane several times between AMS & IAH . one of those flights we just had 8 pax . Great times.
My longest narrow body flight was back in 2008, from Paris Charles De Gaulle (CDG) to Montreal Pierre-Eliott Trudeau (YUL) on a Boeing 757-200ER of the now defunct Zoom Airlines.