on the fly: Australia and New Zealand: The Ultra-Longhaul Revolution
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Australia and New Zealand are two interesting markets to watch, and not just because of the FIFA Women’s World Cup now underway! Both countries, which are hosting the event, are witnessing a boom in ultra-longhaul airline routes.
Using Cirium Diio schedule data, we can see that in 2010, just after the Global Financial Crisis, the longest-distance route from either country was Melbourne-to-Los Angeles, flown by Qantas and Virgin Australia. That’s a journey just shy of 8,000 miles, or roughly 13,000 kilometers.
Fast forward to 2023, and there are now 10 routes longer than that. The very longest is Auckland-Doha, flown by Qatar Airways (that happens to be the third longest route in the world, currently, behind Singapore-New York and Singapore-Newark; it tops 9,000 miles).
Other new ultra-longhaul routes from Australia and New Zealand include Perth-London, Melbourne-Dallas/Fort Worth, and Auckland-New York (the latter flown by both Qantas and Air New Zealand).
The expansion is thanks to longer-range widebody aircraft like the B787-9 and the A350-1000. As Boeing and Airbus introduce new variants of these planes with even greater range, the number of ultra-longhaul routes from Australia and New Zealand will continue to grow. Qantas is already planning A350-1000 flights from Sydney and Melbourne to New York and London. Sydney-London, for one, is more than 10,000 miles, or more than 16,000 kilometers!
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