The World’s New Longest 1-Stop Route From April 2025

In mid-August, it was revealed that

Singapore Airlines

would end Singapore-Manchester-Houston Intercontinental. The last flight will leave Texas on March 30, 2025, two days earlier than previously planned. The fifth freedom route, whose stopover switched from Moscow to Manchester in 2016, is currently the world’s longest one-stop scheduled service. But given it will end, the top spot will see another offering.

Introducing Air China to São Paulo

After more than four years of absence,

Air China

resumed flying Beijing-Madrid-São Paulo in April 2024. It has fifth-freedom traffic rights between the Spanish and Brazilian cities.

On the Great Circle basis, it covers a considerable 9,494 nautical miles (17,583 km) each way. It is currently the world’s second-longest one-stop operation after Singapore Airlines to Houston, which covers approximately 5.4% more distance.

Photo: Air China

If, like most other airlines, Air China had to avoid Russian airspace, it would have taken much longer to reach Brazil. Given the economic considerations of this, it may not have returned or stopped elsewhere en route. But it did return, with the service primarily targeting the large Brazilian Chinese community in the country’s most populous city, a market with ~200,000 roundtrip passengers in 2019.

Historically, numerous carriers—including Air China, Korean Air, Japan Airlines, Malaysian Airlines, Singapore Airlines, and the defunct Varig—have had one-stop, same-plane-service between Asia and South America.

Photo: Air China

Only Air China appears to have linked China and Brazil, and it first did so in 2006. All flights were via Madrid, initially on the Boeing 767 and then the Airbus A330-200. With a better product, the much more fuel-efficient 293-seat 787-9 appeared in 2017.

It takes over 25 hours to reach Brazil

The very long Asia-Brazil service continues to use the 787-9. In April 2025, when it will become the longest one-stop route (barring another development), the schedule of the twice-weekly service will be as follows, with all times local. Of course, the schedule may change.

• Beijing-Madrid: CA897, 15:00-21:10 (12h 10m)
• Madrid-São Paulo: CA897, 23:15-05:05+1 (10h 50m)
• São Paulo-Madrid: CA898, 09:15-00:40+1 (10h 25m)
• Madrid-Beijing: CA898, 02:40-19:30 (10h 50m)

When the ground time is included, it will take a fun 25h 5m to reach São Paulo. Due to less headwind, especially from Spain back to China, it reduces to ‘only’ 23h 15m on the way back. Still, that seems among the quickest options of the myriad flights via Europe, North America, Africa, and the Middle East.

Image: GCMap

The five longest one-stop routes

Looking ahead to next April, by when Singapore Airlines’ last Houston flight will have left, the world’s five-longest one-stop routes are due to be as follows. It is possible, but improbable, that another even longer route will materialize to gain the pole position. Still, this article provides information about what is planned as of August 30 and may change.

Previously, Qantas’ Melbourne-Perth-London Heathrow service would have been included. However, now that flights no longer begin/end in Melbourne, they do not qualify. Qantas’ Sydney-Auckland-JFK service and Singapore Airlines to New York JFK via Frankfurt are only slightly too short to feature.