SINGAPORE — In a development that reshapes the record books of long-haul aviation, Xiamen Air has claimed the title for operating the world’s longest nonstop passenger flight, surpassing Singapore Airlines’ famed ultra-long-haul routes. The Chinese carrier’s service from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Fuzhou Changle International Airport (FOC) clocks in at a staggering 19 hours and 20 minutes — ten minutes longer than Singapore Airlines’ Newark–Singapore service.
A Record Reclaimed in the Skies
Originally launched in 2017 and reinstated in 2024, the Xiamen Air route stretches across vast portions of the Pacific, its record-breaking duration partly the result of rerouting to avoid Russian airspace amid ongoing geopolitical tensions. According to Simple Flying, the block time — measured from gate departure to arrival — now exceeds that of any other scheduled passenger flight in operation worldwide.
The airline operates the JFK–Fuzhou route twice weekly, on Mondays and Fridays, using the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. Westbound flights depart New York at 12:55 p.m. and arrive in Fuzhou at 9:15 p.m. the following day. The return flight leaves Fuzhou at 9:20 a.m. and lands in New York at 10:55 a.m. the same day, taking roughly 14 hours and 35 minutes eastbound.
Singapore Airlines Cedes Its Crown
For years, Singapore Airlines (SQ) has been the benchmark in ultra-long-haul flying, with its nonstop links between Singapore (SIN) and both Newark (EWR) and New York (JFK). The Newark–Singapore leg covers 19 hours and 10 minutes, while the JFK–Singapore flight runs 18 hours and 55 minutes.
The shift in leadership underscores how evolving airspace restrictions can influence global aviation rankings. While Singapore Airlines continues to dominate the Southeast Asia–U.S. market, Xiamen Air’s reinstated service — once considered a niche route — now stands as a symbol of endurance and adaptation in a changing geopolitical environment.
Airspace and Distance: A Geopolitical Equation
The key differentiator lies not merely in distance but in routing. With Russian airspace closed to many Western-aligned carriers, Xiamen Air must take a more southerly path across the Pacific, lengthening its journey significantly. By contrast, Chinese carriers such as Air China, China Eastern, and China Southern continue to fly over Russia, trimming hours from their transcontinental routes.
This divergence underscores how global tensions are reshaping the logistics of commercial aviation. “Block time,” the industry measure encompassing taxiing, takeoff, flight, and landing, captures these operational complexities — and for Xiamen Air, it has become a new badge of endurance.
A Market Driven by Cultural Ties
The demand fueling the JFK–Fuzhou connection stems from deep family and cultural links between the U.S. and China’s Fujian province. The Fuzhou–New York corridor moves an estimated 160,000 round-trip passengers annually, ranking among the busiest China–U.S. markets outside the Shanghai and Beijing hubs.
In New York City, these connections are visible in the very fabric of Chinatown, where the enclave known as “Little Fuzhou” thrives as a cultural and commercial bridge to southeastern China. The twice-weekly service caters directly to this diaspora, maintaining a vital air link despite broader declines in China–U.S. flight capacity since the pandemic.
The Ultra-Long-Haul Landscape
Even as Xiamen Air claims the top spot, other global airlines continue to test the limits of nonstop travel. Qantas, for instance, operates multiple ultra-long routes including Dallas–Melbourne (17h 40m), Perth–London Heathrow (17h 40m), and Perth–Paris (17h 35m). United Airlines remains a major contender with flights such as Houston–Sydney (17h 35m) and San Francisco–Singapore (17h 40m).
Still, none have yet crossed the symbolic 19-hour threshold now held by Xiamen Air. The JFK–Fuzhou service thus stands as a rare outlier — not purely due to distance, but because of its uniquely constrained air corridor.
One-Stop Giants Still Compete
Meanwhile, China Eastern Airlines is preparing to operate one of the longest one-stop services in the world. Beginning December 4, 2025, the carrier plans to link Shanghai Pudong (PVG) to Buenos Aires (EZE) via Auckland (AKL) using a Boeing 777-300ER. The return leg from Argentina to China will total an extraordinary 29 hours of block time, departing Buenos Aires at 2:00 a.m. and arriving in Shanghai at 6:00 p.m. the following day.
A New Benchmark for Endurance
For passengers, ultra-long-haul travel represents both convenience and challenge — eliminating connections but testing the limits of comfort and endurance. For airlines, these routes are feats of engineering, efficiency, and logistical coordination.
With the relaunch of its New York–Fuzhou service, Xiamen Air has entered aviation history as the new record-holder for the world’s longest nonstop commercial flight — a title defined as much by geopolitics as by geography, and one that signals the growing reach of China’s aviation ambitions in the post-pandemicera.
