Cathay Pacific plans to operate Hong Kong-New York flight via Atlantic route
Cathay Pacific may be about to operate the world’s longest commercial flight by redirecting its regular service to New York over the Atlantic — a route that would steer clear of Russian airspace — instead of taking its usual path over the Pacific.
The Honk Kong based airlines has announced plans for the longest passenger flight in the world that will cover just under 9,000 nautical miles (16,668km, or 10,357 miles) in 16 to 17 hours.
The airline will be rerouting its trans-Pacific New York City to Hong Kong flight over the Atlantic Ocean instead.
While many airlines have avoided Russian airspace in the wake of the country’s invasion of Ukraine — many due to reciprocal air blockades — Cathay said its rerouting was down to favorable wind conditions.
The transatlantic option is also more favorable than the usual Pacific path because of “strong seasonal tailwinds at this time of the year”, Cathay Pacific said.
“Our Airbus A350-1000 aircraft can comfortably accomplish this in 16 to 17 hours with similar fuel consumption to the transpacific flights.”
Pre-pandemic, Cathay Pacific operated three round trips between the two cities every day.
Cathay Pacific listed a newly routed New York-Hong Kong flight scheduled for April 3, 2022, on its official website. According to the information posted by the airline, a nonstop flight would remain airborne for 17 hours and 50 minutes.
New Cathay Pacific’s flight will surpass a Singapore Airlines flight from Singapore to New York City, which travels a shorter distance in a longer time – about 15,343km (9,534 miles) in 18 hours.
The new Cathay Pacific’s path also steers clear of Russia. Many international air carriers have cancelled routes to Russian destinations or are re-routing their long-haul flights in order to avoid Russia’s airspace closed over Moscow’s ongoing aggression in neighboring Ukraine.
Russia closed its skies last month to several European countries and all UK-linked flights in a tit-for-tat response to a similar ban placed on them.
Cathay Pacific said that it is seeking an overflight permit for the journey which will fly across the Atlantic, Europe and Central Asia.
Starting on April 1, flights from the US and eight other countries will be allowed to land in Hong Kong again, as the government relaxes some of the world’s toughest COVID-19 restrictions.