American Airlines records its longest direct flight in history covering 8300 miles in 16 hours
American Airlines has recorded its longest direct flight in history travelling a distance of roughly 13,357 km (8300 miles) between Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW Airport) and Brisbane Airport, touted to be the longest route across the globe. The flight took a little over 16 hours to cover the distance deploying a Boeing 787-9. The aircraft departed at 9:57 pm (US time) on Saturday and landed nearly 33 minutes early at 4:57 am (Australian time) on Monday.
To mark the special occasion, a livestreaming was carried out for the flight's landing on the YouTube channel of the Brisbane Airport. Over 12,000 people watched the live stream that provided them with a "front row window seat through runway-cam, the Brisbane airport authorities claimed.
Flight tracking service 'Flightradar24DotCom' predicted it would be one of the most tracked flights in the world.
The inaugural nonstop connection between the two cities was staffed with a crew of three pilots, a relief captain, and 11 flight attendants, reports USA today. The aircraft had a capacity of 285 passengers but American Airlines have not given the exact number of onboard passengers on the flight.
At the gate event celebration at DFW Airport, customers received a gift bag that included a koala plushie, a commemorative postcard and a voucher for a free koala moment at the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in Brisbane. When the plane landed, crew members placed American and Australian flags outside the cockpit while it was on the runway.
American Airlines will increase the frequency of its daily flights from December to the end of March with five flights in each direction.
Marking a landmark moment for Brisbane and Queensland, Gert-Jan de Graaff, chief executive, of Brisbane Airport said: “From the Lone Star State to the Sunshine State, this new connection between two hubs unlocks incredible potential on both sides of the Pacific.”
The new flight is predicted to bring thousands of additional tourists to Queensland, boosting tourism jobs across the state.