Qatar Airways has just launched, on Sunday February 5, the longest commercial flight in the world linking Doha to Auckland.
Flight QR920 left the Qatari capital at 5:02 a.m. local (02:02 GMT) and is scheduled to land in Auckland at 7:30 a.m. local (6:30 p.m. GMT).
The Boeing 777 must complete the route in 16 hours and 20 minutes, cross ten time zones, fly over five countries and cover a distance of 14,535 km before reaching New Zealand.
On the return trip, the flight will take 17 hours and 30 minutes due to headwinds, Qatar Airways said.
This will be the longest air connection in terms of flight hours, according to the specialist site flightradar24.
Qatar Airways did not specify the number of crew members on board, but this type of flight requires four pilots and around fifteen stewards and hostesses.
In March 2016, Emirates launched what was considered the world’s longest flight, linking Dubai to Auckland over 14,200 km.
