What are the longest domestic airline routes in the world?

The longest domestic flights in the world are often quite a bit longer than some international flights. It helps when countries have far flung pieces of a former empire or just have islands far out into the ocean attached to them.

Flights that have a stop en route are not included here. This means Paris to Tahiti via Los Angeles, which would technically come out tops at 15,715 kilometres (9,765 miles), is not on this list.

Longest Domestic Flights

This list comprises of the longest non-stop flights, plus the airlines that are currently serving the route. Distances in miles are included for readers in the United States, Liberia and Myanmar, the only countries still using this ancient form of measurement.

1. Paris Charles de Gaulle to Reunion (CDG-RUN) 9,349 km (5,809 mi)
2. Paris Orly to Reunion (ORY-RUN) 9,337 km (5,802 mi)
3. Lyon to Reunion (LYS-RUN) 8,962km (5,569 mi)

Reunion Island, a French overseas territory, is located in the Indian Ocean. At 11 hours and 15 minutes from France, these are definitely the longest domestic flights in the world.

Air Austral and Air France operate from Charles de Gaulle. Air France, Corsair and low-cost long haul carrier French Bee operate from Orly Airport while XL Airways France fly from Lyon.

The American Angle

What inspired this post was the new Boston to Honolulu service by Hawaiian Airlines. It turns out that it is only the fourth longest domestic route in the world. It just pips New York Kennedy, which is operated by Hawaiian, Delta and United.

4. Boston to Honolulu (BOS-HNL) 8,200 km (5,095 mi)
5. Honolulu to New York Kennedy (HNL-JFK) 8,019 km (4,983 mi)

At 11 hours and 40 minutes flying westbound, the Boston flight is the longest domestic flight in the USA. Hawaiian have it all to themselves too, the lucky devils!

The Europeans Are At It Again!

KLM take 12 hours and 10 minutes to get from Amsterdam to Bonaire, which is an island near Curaçao and Aruba off the coast of Venezuela. Oh, and it’s Dutch by the way!

6. Amsterdam to Bonaire (AMS-BON) 7,796 km (4,844 mi)
7. Cayenne to Paris Orly (CAY-ORY) 7,083 km (4,401 mi)
8. Fort-de-France to Paris Charles de Gaulle (FDF-CDG) 6,874 km (4,271 mi)
9. Fort-de-France to Paris Orly (FDF-ORY) 6,854 km (4,259 mi)

Cayenne is in French Guiana and direct flights with Air France and Air Caraïbes take 8 hours and 55 minutes. Flights to and from Martinique in the West Indies are next on the list, taking 8 hours and change with XL Airways France to Charles de Gaulle, and similar times to Orly with Air France and Corsair.

The Russians Are Coming!

Rounding out the list are two domestic routes operated by Russia’s Aeroflot, which is one of the oldest airlines in the world. Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky is located near the Bering Sea.

10. Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky to Moscow Vnukovo (PKC-VKO) 6,803 km (4,227 mi)
11. Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky to Moscow Sheremetyevo (PKC-SVO) 6,764 km (4,203 mi)

Timed at 8 hours and 55 minutes, it is the longest domestic route in Russia. Modern Airbus A330 aircraft operate the route, ensuring a comfortable ride.

Overall Thoughts

Eclectic it may be, but there you have it, the longest domestic flights in the world. Geography is one of my strong suits, and despite this even I had to look up a couple of the destinations on the list.

What do you think of the list? Are you planning your next trip already? Or have I gone and forgotten something? Thanks for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.

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Featured image via Airline Reporter.
Reunion Island images via Traveller.
Bonaire by V Vergne via Wikimedia Commons.
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky by Yuri Smityuk via Russia Beyond.
With thanks to Jeffrey at Weekend Blitz and FlightGlobal’s FlightMaps Analytics.