United Airlines announced earlier this year that they were introducing a new route between Los Angeles and Melbourne starting from October 26, 2014 using Boeing 787-9 aircraft.
The 787-9's extended range – 13,760 kilometres compared to the 787-8's 13,197 kilometres enables United to launch the new service, which will be the longest Dreamliner route in the world to date.
Flying times will be approximately 15 hours, 45 minutes’ westbound and 14 hours, 35 minutes eastbound and United has timed the new flights to conveniently connect at Los Angeles with an extensive network throughout the US, Canada and Latin America.
We took a look at the top 10 longest and shortest Dreamliner routes in the world:
Top 10 Longest Dreamliner Routes in the World:
10. United Airlines 10,655 km
The airline, which operates the route between Houston and Tokyo Narita, introduced a second daily offering in the spring of this year (2014). The route is a distance of 10,655 kilometres and takes 14 hours, 5 minutes.
9. Aeromexico 10,680 km
The Monterrey to Tokyo Narita route which takes a little under 14 hours was introduced earlier this year, and the skyteam member operates the route four times weekly. The Carrier started operating the Dreamliner in October 2013, first serving the Mexico City – Monterrey and Mexico City – Tijuana routes.
8. LAN Airlines 10,712 km
The South American Airline group operate routes between Santiago and Madrid which takes 12 hours and 40 minutes. LAN took delivery of its first Boeing 787 in late 2012, making it the first South American airline to add the Dreamliner to its fleet. The aircraft is configured with 217 economy seats in a 3-3-3 layout and 30 in business class in a 2-2-2 layout.
7. Japan Airlines 10,758 km
The Japanese carrier holds two spots in the top ten, with its Tokyo Narita – Boston route as the shorter of the two, operating daily.
6. Hainan Airlines 10,813 km
The 13 and a half hour Beijing – Boston route is operated by the privately owned airline, configured with 177 economy seats and 36 flat-bed business seats.
5. Japan Airlines 10,828 km
70km longer than Japan Airlines’ other top ten entry is the Tokyo Narita – New York JFK route. The airline released a second daily flight between the two cities earlier this year, and the flight time is 12 hours, 30 minutes.
4. United Airlines 11,029 km
The American airline operates a San Francisco – Chengdu route with a flight time of 14 hours, 30 minutes. United 787’s are configured with 30 flat-bed seats in BusinessFirst class, 70 Economy Plus and 113 economy seats.
3. Aeromexico 11,249 km
The airline operates its Mexico City – Tokyo Narita route 4 times weekly and the cabin is configured with 32 seats in Premier Business class and 211 economy seats.
2. Ethiopian Airlines 11,494 km
Ethiopian Airlines was the first African carrier to take delivery of the Boeing Dreamliner aircraft in 2012. It offers a direct route between Toronto and Addis Ababa which takes approximately 13 hours and 20 minutes and operates three times weekly.
1. United Airlines 12,751 km
The newly operated 787-9 Los Angeles – Melbourne route has a flight time of 15 hours, 45 minutes, and is the longest Dreamliner route to date.
The table is soon to change however, with Etihad Airways and China Southern introducing new routes in 2015. Etihad Airways will operate an Abu Dhabi – Brisbane route (12,004 km) and an Abu Dhabi – Washington route (11,383 km) in June 2015 and January 2015 respectively, stealing second and fourth place on our table. China Southern will commence a Guangzhou – San Francisco route (11,075 km) in June 2015.
Top 10 Shortest Dreamliner Routes in the World
10. Ethiopian Airlines 402 km
Although the African airline holds the number 2 spot in the longest Dreamliner routes in the world, it also claims three spots in the shortest Dreamliner routes list. This is a perfect example of the versatility of the Dreamliner aircraft, with Ethiopian Airlines operating a Lusaka – Harare route, a mere 50 minute flight.
9. All Nippon Airways 402 km
The first of the Japanese airline’s entries is its Tokyo Haneda – Osaka Itami route with a flight time of 1 hour, 5 minutes with 787-9 aircraft.
8. Qatar Airways 377 km
The state-owned flag carrier operates a Doha – Dubai with a flight time of 1 hour, 5 minutes. The airline currently has 9 Dreamliner aircraft, with another 51 on order for delivery throughout 2018.
7. All Nippon Airways 315 km
With a flight time of one hour, the Japanese Airline operates a Tokyo Haneda – Komatsu domestic route. The carrier was the launch customer for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
6. All Nippon Airways 261 km
With a flight time of 55 minutes, the Tokyo Haneda – Toyama route is the shortest Dreamliner route the airline offers.
5. Ethiopian Airlines 253 km
The Paris CDG – Brussels route is the shortest European Dreamliner route in the world, with a flight time of 50 minutes.
4. Qatar Airways 146 km
From the airline’s base in Doha, the carrier’s shortest route flies to Bahrain in a mere 45 minutes.
3. Arkefly 119 km
The Dutch charter carrier became ‘Arkefly’ after the German group, TUI took over the financially struggling Holland Air. The Aruba – Curacao route has a flight time of 35 minutes.
2. Ethiopian Airlines 116 km
The airline operates the Malabo – Douala route four times weekly with a flight time of 35 minutes.
1. Arkefly 74 km
The carrier operates the shortest Dreamliner route in the world, between Bonaire – Curacao with a flight time of 25 minutes. Arkefly has one 787 in operation and one on order.
The Dreamliner operates routes between 74km – 12,751km making it one of the most versatile aircraft available. Used for both international and domestic use, the 787-8 Dreamliner can carry 242 passengers while the longer 787-9 can carry 280 passengers. The new 787-10, launched in June 2013, will extend and complement the family, carrying 323 passengers up to 7,020 nautical miles (13,000 km), or more than 90 percent of the world's twin-aisle routes.
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