BOEING has established a new world record for distance travelled non-stop by a commercial aircraft, when a 777-200LR landed at Heathrow Airport lunchtime last Thursday, having flown 11,664 nautical miles (21,601 km) non-stop from Hong Kong eastbound. Flight time was 22 hours 42 minutes. The flight confirms Boeing”s ”big twin” as the aircraft capable of reaching Sydney non-stop from London, the only remaining Holy Grail in terms of scheduled airline operations (if you forget about Concorde and supersonic flight). The question remains whether there are enough people out there who are prepared to sit in a metal tube for three times the length of a typical London ” New York flight. Or do they need to properly stretch their legs after 12 hours? Singapore Airlines continues with its non-stop services between Newark New York and its hub, with a flight time of 18 hours 30 minutes in a specially configured two class Airbus A340. Or to put it another way ” London to Colombo (11 hours) is a long flight but you are only just halfway to Sydney. If someone does gamble and starts non-stop services, it looks like it is going to be a niche market.
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