In what would be the world’s longest commercial passenger flight by distance, Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. proposes to reroute its New York-Hong Kong service to avoid Russian airspace.
According to a note to Cathay flight crews acquired by Bloomberg News, the airline wants to fly from John F. Kennedy International Airport over the Atlantic Ocean, the United Kingdom, southern Europe, and central Asia. According to FlightRadar24 data, the distance of 16,618 kilometres (10,326 miles) would exceed Singapore Airlines Ltd.’s New York service, which takes around 17-and-a-half hours to traverse 15,349 kilometres. The new Cathay Pacific trip will take around 17 hours.
The route, which would generally fly over the Arctic and via Russian airspace, is capable of being operated by Airbus SE’s A350-1000, according to a Cathay spokesperson. Because of the turmoil in Ukraine, many Asian airlines are avoiding Russia.
“We run contingency routings for hypothetical incidents or situations all of the time,” the spokesperson stated. “The Transatlantic alternative depends on the presence of strong seasonal tailwinds at this time of year to reduce travel duration to between 16 and 17 hours, making it more advantageous than the Transpacific route.”
The airline stated that tailwinds are being monitored on a daily basis and that their benefits are lessening. During the winter, jet streams are more powerful.
Cathay Pacific is applying for overflight licences to operate the service, as is customary for a new route. The carrier used to operate up to three round-trips between Hong Kong and JFK every day before the pandemic, which drastically curtailed its schedule.
Cathay Pacific’s most recent aircraft from New York to Hong Kong made a pit break in Los Angeles before continuing over the Pacific and into the Asian financial centre without flying into Russian territory. There would be no need for a layover on the new, longer route, making it more cost-effective and competitive.
Several airlines have devised plans to circumvent Russia, mostly between Asia and Europe. Instead of flying across Siberia, Japan Airlines Co Ltd rerouted its service from Tokyo’s Haneda airport to London’s Heathrow via Alaska and Canada. The 11-hour 55-minute travel was extended by four and a half hours.
Given the high expenses of rising oil prices, as well as the uncertainty over Russian airspace accessibility, such flight adjustments are likely to be transitory.
After the pandemic, Qantas Airways Ltd.’s 20-hour flights linking Sydney with London and New York on an ultra-long-range Airbus widebody plane are still being planned. In 2019, the airline tested the so-called Project Sunrise service by flying 40 people from New York to Sydney.
Last week, Air New Zealand Ltd. launched a new ultra-long service from Auckland to New York JFK, and on Monday, Qantas revealed a Melbourne-Dallas route, both of which will begin later this year. Until they were halted due to Covid-19, Qatar Airways QCSC and Emirates Airline flights to Auckland were among the world’s longest.
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