Summary

  • Singapore Airlines’ daily operation back to the city-state via Tokyo Narita is Los Angeles’ longest passenger route.
  • The longest non-stop service is the same carrier back to Changi.
  • US carriers feature three times on Los Angeles’ longest airport pairs list.

Los Angeles International is the world’s 10th busiest airport by long-haul flights between June and September 2024. That’s a finding from using OAG schedules data to examine all services of at least 2,600 nautical miles (4,815 km), the distance I use to denote long-haul. Los Angeles has an average of 89 daily long-haul departures, but there are as many as 97 daily in July.

The airport’s longest airport pairs

The following table summarizes them, with nautical miles and maximum block times used. I have stated any one-stop, same-plane, same-flight-number services between two airport pairs if sufficiently long.

Singapore Airlines 777-300ER on final approach shutterstock_692117698

Photo: Fasttailwind | Shutterstock

Please note the following caveats:

  • The data is only for June to September; things may differ at other times.
  • The distance is the Great Circle, with real-world operations likely changing the order.
  • The order would be somewhat different if maximum block times were used instead.
  • The information is subject to change.
Philippine Airlines Boeing 777 flying

Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

Nautical miles (km)

Maximum block time on airport pair*

Los Angeles to…

Comments about June-September only

7,625 (14,122)

19h 55m

Singapore via Tokyo Narita

Singapore Airlines daily 777-300ER

7,621 (14,113)

17h 10m

Singapore

Singapore Airlines 10 weekly non-stop A350-900

7,246 (13,420)

16h 20m

Dubai

Emirates daily A380

7,217 (13,367)

16h 00m

Doha

Qatar Airways 10 weekly to double daily A350-1000

6,883 (12,748)

15h 55m

Melbourne

Qantas 787-9 and A380* daily to nine times weekly; United three times weekly 787-9

6,582 (12,189)

14h 55m

Tel Aviv

El Al eight times weekly 787-8/787-9

6,507 (12,051)

15h 35m

Sydney

American daily 777-300ER; Delta daily A350-900; Qantas daily to eight weekly A380/787-9**; United daily 787-9

6,348 (11,756)

14h 50m

Manila

Philippine Airlines 12 weekly to double daily 777-300ER

6,309 (11,684)

15h 30m

Hong Kong

Cathay Pacific 13 weekly 777-300ER; United daily 787-9

6,298 (11,664)

15h 15m

Shenzhen

Air China weekly 777-300ER

* Either direction at any time in the examined period, regardless of the airline

* Twice weekly A380 ** Just six roundtrip 787-9 flights; otherwise, all-A380

Qatar Airways at Los Angeles

The oneworld member has served Los Angeles since 2016. It appeared later than Emirates from Dubai (2008), Turkish Airlines from Istanbul (2011), Etihad from Abu Dhabi (2014, but the route ended in 2020), and Saudia from its homeland (2014).

Related

Up To 17 Daily Flights: A Look At Qatar Airways’ Record US Operation

Coincidentally, the airline’s first US passenger flight was 17 years ago.

While Qatar Airways has 10 weekly Los Angeles departures in June, it grows to double daily in July and August to capitalize on peak summer demand. It returns to 10 weekly in September.

According to the US Department of Transportation T-100 data, Qatar Airways transported 1.37 million passengers to/from Los Angeles between 2016 and 2023. Its average seat load factor (SLF) was 81% during this period, although 87% was achieved in 2023, its best year on record. As usual, SLF should not be considered in isolation.

Related

20+ Weekly Flights: The World’s 13 Most-Served International Airbus A350 Routes

Only one European and North American route made the cut.

Where Qatar Airways’ passengers go

Booking data for 2023 suggests that approximately three-quarters of Los Angeles passengers connected to another flight in Doha. That’s hardly surprising. India, Armenia, Iran, and Saudi Arabia were the most crucial country markets. Between them, they accounted for more than one in two transit passengers.

Qatar Airways Airbus A350-1000

Photo: Robin Guess | Shutterstock

At the airport level, Los Angeles-Yerevan was comfortably the most popular origin-destination; it has benefited from the lack of Aeroflot due to sanctions. Greater Los Angeles is renowned for its Armenian population, the largest in the US. Los Angeles-Tehran was next, then Delhi, Mumbai, Beirut, Cairo, Amman, Hyderabad, Kuwait, and Nairobi.

What do you make of it all? Let us know in the comments section.

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