Cathay plans world’s longest passenger flight, avoiding Russian airspace
HONG KONG : Cathay Pacific is planning the world’s longest passenger flight by rerouting its New York to Hong Kong service over the Atlantic instead of the Pacific, the airline said, in a new path that steers clear of Russia.
The flight path will cover “just under 9,000 nautical miles” (10,357 miles) — or 16,668 kilometers — in 16 to 17 hours, Cathay said in a statement.
It will surpass a Singapore Airlines flight traveling from the Southeast Asian city-state to New York, which flies a shorter distance in a longer time — about 15,343 kilometers (9,534 miles) in 18 hours.
Cathay declined to be drawn on the reasons for its flight path giving a wide berth to Russia’s airspace, which it has previously flown through, according to Bloomberg.
Many airlines have cancelled routes to Russian cities or are avoiding its airspace over Moscow’s bloody invasion of neighboring Ukraine last month.
Russia also 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 is currently seeking an overflight permit for the journey which will fly across the Atlantic, Europe and Central Asia.
“We are always running contingency routings for potential events or scenarios within the world of aviation,” Hong Kong’s flagship carrier said in a statement to AFP.
The trans-Atlantic option is more favorable than their usual trans-Pacific route because of “strong seasonal tailwinds at this time of the year”, it said.
Pre-pandemic, Cathay operated three round trips between the two cities every day.
Flights to Hong Kong now face frequent cancellations due to the financial hub’s strict anti-Covid measures, as well as a lack of passengers.
Starting April 1, flights from the U.S. 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. – AFP
Photo : Cathay Pacific
30 March 2022
