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Record 23 hour non-stop flight completed by new Boeing 777
The Boeing 777-200LR Worldliner, the world’s longest range commercial airplane, today completed the longest non-stop flight on record, 23 hours from Hong Kong, flying eastbound over North America to London’s Heathrow Airport.
The 777-200LR took off with a full load of fuel and 35 passengers and crew, including four pilots landed just after 1300 GMT (8 AM EST), some 25 minutes ahead of schedule.
Unlike the 300 passengers who will be carried when the aircraft enters commercial service in early 2006, each of Boeing’s guests has a bed and plenty of room to exercise.
Representatives of the Guinness Book of World Records are at Heathrow Airport to certified it as the longest flight in record, covering nearly half the distance around the world, met the flight in London.
The long flight is made possible primarily by three auxiliary fuel tanks that will be available options on production -200LR airplanes and the super-fuel-efficient, reliable General Electric GE90-115B engines.
Boeing has been engaged in fierce competition with the European Airbus over the market for very long-range jets. Both companies believe that there is growing demand for non-stop flights halfway.
Singapore Airlines currently operates the world’s longest commercial route, using an Airbus A340-500 to fly 18 hours from Singapore to New York.
The B777 can fly 860 miles further than Airbus, while the extra distance gives Boeing no great advantage, its more efficient engines is, in these days of high fuel costs.
Most airlines also doubt whether enough people will be prepared to sit on an aircraft for 20 hours for the sake of saving three.
Only two airlines, Pakistan International and Eva Air, have so far bought the B777, ordering five between them.
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