Aircraft are built to travel vast distances quickly. But just how far can an aircraft fly,
and which aircraft can fly the longest without
refueling? Let's take a look at the numbers in today’s video.
As to make this a fair comparison, there are a few caveats as to 'which aircraft
can fly the furthest.' The first is that the aircraft must be in use by airlines or
at least be under serious development. We don't want to include a one-off prototype
that can fly around the world on a single tank if you can't buy a ticket to fly on it.
We will be looking at jet propulsion aircraft and not planes that use other forms of movement.
Additionally, we will be looking at an aircraft fully loaded with ranges listed
by the manufacturer. An empty aircraft stripped of everything, including seats and entertainment,
can fly a lot further than a full cargo carrier and thus would not be fair.
Starting from the beginning, the original long-haul aircraft was the Boeing 747SP,
with a range of 6,650 nautical miles (12,320 km).
It was built specifically for long-range travel, such as the 5,320 nautical miles
(9,850 kilometers) scheduled nonstop service between New York and Tehran.
This would eventually be beaten by the Boeing 777-200LR with a range of 8,555
nautical miles/15,843 km. The Airbus A340-500 takes things even further with a colossal
9,000 nautical miles (17,000 km).
These aircraft would maintain their lead in the longest range stakes,
even beyond the arrival of the Airbus A380 (with its range of 8,000 nautical miles/14,800 km),
and the Boeing 747-8I which can fly 7,730 nautical miles/14,320 km.
Boeing would go on to build the Boeing 787 Dreamliner that would
be used for many long-range routes (such as the popular Perth to London flight),
but it would only have a range of 7,635 nautical miles (14,140 km).
The true crown today belongs to the Airbus A350 - but not the base -900 version. The
original Airbus A350 has an impressive range of 8,700 nautical miles (16,100 km),
but for Singapore Airlines, Airbus built the Airbus A350-900ULR (Ultra Long Range)
that is reported to cover distances as far as 9,700 nautical miles (18,000 km).
While Airbus did make some modifications to the aircraft’s fuel systems, a maximum
takeoff weight identical to the regular -900 tells us that the ULR must give up passengers
or cargo in exchange for more fuel; thus the ULR’s range when quote-unquote fully
loaded could be challenged. Let us know if you think this still makes it a fair comparison!
But, to wrap things up, the latest competition from Boeing (the 777-8) is still a long ways
away from entering commercial service. With no extra long-haul aircraft in development currently,
the A350 could hold this record for a few more years at least, if not longer.
What do you think about the aircraft with the highest range? Are there any other planes
across the industry that impress you with their abilities? Let us know in the comment section.