While we’ll never take hopping on a plane and flying somewhere new for granted, at the end of the day most flights are fairly routine, whether they’re short-haul, long-haul, on time, or delayed. But every now and then, travelers get to board a flight that stands out for a special reason. From a nonstop, 19-hour journey halfway across the world to one that lands at one of the world’s most dangerous airports, here are 10 interesting flights that belong on any aviation fan’s bucket list.
The Longest Flight in the World
In 2021, Singapore Airlines launched direct flights from Singapore to New York’s JFK Airport. Covering a distance of 9,527 miles with a flying time in excess of 19 hours, the route is currently the longest flight you can take nonstop. But if you’re worried about being cramped in coach for that many hours, fear not: Singapore Airlines configures its Airbus A350-900ULR aircraft on the route with only Business Class and Premium Economy seats that offer more legroom and greater seat width.
While Singapore has claimed the “longest nonstop flight” record for four years and counting, it might not hold onto it for long: Australian carrier Qantas is planning nonstop flights between Sydney and London and Sydney and New York. Dubbed “Project Sunrise,” the services are expected to launch in mid-2026 and will take around 20 hours to fly nonstop.
The Shortest Flight in the World
If the idea of being stuck in a metal tube for hours on end doesn’t appeal to you, might we suggest the 1.7-mile hop between two of Scotland’s Orkney Islands? The Loganair service between Westray and Papa Westray typically takes less than two minutes from takeoff to touchdown — or as little as 53 seconds when winds are favorable. Passengers squeeze into a plane that has room for just eight passengers, with the pilot sitting in an open cockpit just inches away from the passenger seats.
The World’s Longest Domestic Flight
Though the island lies in the western Indian Ocean about 420 miles east of Madagascar, Réunion is one of France’s overseas departments and regions. Because of the great distance from mainland France, the nonstop flights on Air France and Air Austral between Saint-Denis, the capital of Réunion, and Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport are currently the longest domestic services in the world. The journey covers a distance of more than 5,800 miles and takes nearly 12 hours.
However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Air Tahiti Nui briefly held the record for longest domestic flight in 2020, when it flew its Boeing 787-9 aircraft nonstop for 9,765 miles from Tahiti, another French overseas colony, to Paris. The flight typically requires a refueling stop in Los Angeles, but it benefited from favorable tailwinds and lower passenger loads thanks to restrictions on air travel.
A Flight to the World’s “Most Dangerous” Airport
Located in the Himalayas, the highest mountain range on Earth, Nepal’s Tenzing-Hillary Airport, also known as Lukla Airport, is often cited as one of the most dangerous airports in the world. The airport sits at an altitude of 9,383 feet above sea level and has just one, extremely short 1,729-foot runway.
Because air density lessens at high altitudes, pilots are required to land at higher speeds, while at the same time navigating the terrain and typical high winds of the surrounding mountains. Pilots require special training to be able to land at the airport, which serves as a popular gateway for Mount Everest treks.
A Flight That Lands Before You Take Off
If you happen to be flying from Majuro, the capital of the Marshall Islands, to Honolulu, Hawaii, on United’s Flight 133, you’ll take off around 8 p.m. and land around 2 a.m. But instead of arriving the next day, you’ll arrive approximately 18 hours earlier on the same day — about the closest you can get to traveling back in time in real life.
This scheduling quirk is thanks to the international date line, an imaginary boundary that travels through the middle of the Pacific Ocean and separates one calendar day from the next. United’s flight is one of many around the world that are scheduled to arrive at an earlier time in the destination time zone than the time they took off.
United even planned a special flight on January 1, 2024, from Guam to Honolulu, that was scheduled to arrive in Honolulu on New Year’s Eve in 2023, giving passengers the unique opportunity to celebrate the new year twice. Unfortunately, thanks to an unexpected delay, that flight didn’t go quite as planned.
An Island Hopper Service
Speaking of United Airlines, the route between Majuro and Honolulu is part of a unique service known as the Island Hopper. No other U.S. airline operates anything quite like it. The multistop route connects Honolulu and the U.S. territory of Guam, by way of several smaller islands in the Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia.
The Island Hopper serves as a crucial link for many of these remote island communities by providing their only regular air service. The specially configured Boeing 737-800 aircraft carry extra parts and even a spare mechanic onboard given the remote location and lack of facilities at the island airports.
A Flight That Lands on the World’s Shortest Runway
Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport on the Dutch island of Saba in the Caribbean is one of the smallest commercial airports in the world. It also holds a singular record: At just 1,300 feet, the airport’s runway is the shortest commercial runway on the planet. Not only that, but the terrain on either end of the runway also makes landing here a real challenge for pilots — but a real thrill for passengers on the short 15-minute hop from nearby St. Maarten.
The World’s Busiest Flight Route
If you find yourself flying the two-hour hop from Taipei, Taiwan, to Hong Kong, you certainly won’t be alone. With a staggering 6.78 million seats for sale in 2024, it currently ranks as the busiest flight route in the world.
On a typical day, you’ll be able to choose from more than three dozen flights on several airlines, including Cathay Pacific, China Airlines, Eva Air, Hong Kong Airlines, and Starlux Airlines. The Hong Kong-to-Taipei route jumped up two spots from No. 3 in the 2023 rankings. In 2024, the busiest route originating in North America was from New York to London, ranking No. 10 with 4.01 million seats.
A Flight Over the North Pole
In 1954, Scandinavian carrier SAS was the first airline to operate a commercial flight over the North Pole — a feat that took four years of careful planning and innovations in technology to make reality. It significantly reduced flight times and emissions by taking advantage of the Earth’s curvature, opening up new nonstop routes that weren’t possible before.
Today, flying over the North Pole is no longer a rarity — several airlines regularly schedule flights on what’s known as “Polar Routes.” These include long-haul services from Dubai to Los Angeles, from Delhi to San Francisco, and from Doha to Seattle, among many others. But if you’re lucky enough to fly one of them, you’ll at least earn some bragging rights — as Parker Posey’s character did when she flew to Thailand in season 3 of the hit HBO show White Lotus.
A Flight That Lands on a Beach
Looking for a beach getaway? Scotland’s Barra Airport in the windswept Outer Hebrides islands probably isn’t exactly what you had in mind, but when you arrive, at least you won’t have to go far to dip your toes in the sand. That’s because the hard-packed sands on the bay of Traigh Mhòr are the runway — the only one of its kind in the world. Due to the lack of asphalt, pilots and air traffic control need to keep a close eye on the tides and frequently changing weather conditions to operate the hour-long regular services to Glasgow.
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