5 ms·

Air India creates record by flying 15,300 kilometres in 14.5 hours non stop

22 points by praving5 10y ago

binarymax 10y ago
There used to be a nonstop Thai Airways 17 hour flight from NYC to Bangkok that I flew several times. And I found a list from 2007 of longhauls with it listed in the middle! I remember the flight would go over the Arctic, since the distance was shorter, and I could see ice instead of clouds on a clear day. The flight itself would have been unbearable were it not for the amazing Thai airways service. A quick Google shows the distance just under 14000 km. https://consumerist.com/2007/07/16/worlds-longest-non-stop-flights/ https://consumerist.com/2007/07/16/worlds-longest-non-stop-f...
the_duke 10y ago
What aircraft? Triple 7?
- rosser 10y ago
  http://flightaware.com/live/flight/AIC173/history/20161015/2200Z/VIDP/KSFO http://flightaware.com/live/flight/AIC173/history/20161015/2... 777-200LR, looks like.
captn3m0 10y ago
Earlier discussion (not on the record, but the route): https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12738077 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12738077 Key takeaways: - This is a new route (started in Dec 2015) - AI recently got permissions to use the Chinese Air Space for the route - The jetstream optimisations are a service provided by Boeing, and AI just started subscribing to them.
rhaps0dy 10y ago
Pardon my naiveté, but, why didn't anyone do this before? Isn't it easier to fly if you take less time because you have tailwinds?
- idlewords 10y ago
  It's done routinely, but Air India just started to do this on a long-haul route and are publicizing it.
  - Someone 10y ago
    For example, over the Atlantic, there is a highly formalized system for this. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Atlantic_Tracks#Route_planning https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Atlantic_Tracks#Route_pl...: "these routes […] are aligned in such a way as to minimize any head winds and maximize tail winds impact on the aircraft. This results in much more efficiency by reducing fuel burn and flight time. To make such efficiencies possible, the routes are created twice daily to take account of the shifting of the winds" Reading https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Atlantic_Tracks#History https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Atlantic_Tracks#History system, that system's history goes back to 1898 (for shipping), but it definitely became structured starting in 1965. So yes, the idea isn't new.
- kumarski 10y ago
  All sorts of faster distance opportunities exist. one of the safety regulations relies on close landing strips within 300mi of any plane or something like that. God, wish I could find the article on that....
  - JshWright 10y ago
    It's less about distance, and more about time (i.e. how long the plane can fly with an engine out). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ETOPS https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ETOPS
- tomhoward 10y ago
  According to the comment above, they only just got permission to start flying in China air space.
idlewords 10y ago
Note that this is a record for passenger service. Boeing flew a 777 without passengers for 22:42 and a distance of 21,601 km. http://boeing.mediaroom.com/2005-11-10-Boeing-777-200LR-Sets-New-World-Record-for-Distance http://boeing.mediaroom.com/2005-11-10-Boeing-777-200LR-Sets...
- danieltillett 10y ago
  My god I would not want to be stuck down in economy for that flight.
  - idlewords 10y ago
    "Our in-flight entertainment today will be Garfield 2 and Garden State"
- nashashmi 10y ago
  So the speed on that flight would be 951 km/hr. Wikipedia article states the max speed for 777 is 950 km/hr. In this AI flight plan, the speed is 1055 km/hr. A new speed record in its own right.
  - caf 10y ago
    Maximum aircraft speed is airspeed not ground speed.
  - dingaling 10y ago
    1055 km/h is far from a ground-speed record for airliners. North Pacific tailwinds can push them over 1200 .
- caf 10y ago
  It's not even a record for a passenger service, Singapore Airlines Changi to Newark service was slightly longer. They're going to be reintroducing that service when they get their A350-900ULR aircraft delivered.
  - 10y ago
gnipgnip 10y ago
Sweet AI turning a profit ? I must've been a dove-eyed kid when that last happened. Won't they have to fly back over the Atlantic from SFO, though ? Also, if the AI boffins are listening: - "एअर् " -> "अय्र्" ( एचोऽयवायावः ). पदे नित्या संहिताम् करवामहै ! - Please don't make us change over in Delhi! Not all of us wish to honor Herr Gandhi, nor step onto the land of the Mughal-British retainers. - Mumbai too sucks balls; one wrong call and a taxi man outside the airport steals $100! - More importantly: South India has all the software man! BLR-SFO flight would've made a lot more sense. Seriously, what was AI thinking ? That India's bureaucracy would transform Silicon Valley, by teaching them the dark arts ?
- morekozhambu 10y ago
  vAyubhArata: iti nAmam sundarataram |
  - gnipgnip 10y ago
    अपि "हंसध्वज" वा "जटायु"। परन्तु असम्भवम् आङ्लराज्ये परिवर्तनम् । :(

22 points by praving5 10y ago

There used to be a nonstop Thai Airways 17 hour flight from NYC to Bangkok that I flew several times. And I found a list from 2007 of longhauls with it listed in the middle! I remember the flight would go over the Arctic, since the distance was shorter, and I could see ice instead of clouds on a clear day. The flight itself would have been unbearable were it not for the amazing Thai airways service. A quick Google shows the distance just under 14000 km. https://consumerist.com/2007/07/16/worlds-longest-non-stop-flights/ https://consumerist.com/2007/07/16/worlds-longest-non-stop-f...

the_duke 10y ago

What aircraft? Triple 7?

rosser 10y ago
http://flightaware.com/live/flight/AIC173/history/20161015/2200Z/VIDP/KSFO http://flightaware.com/live/flight/AIC173/history/20161015/2... 777-200LR, looks like.

captn3m0 10y ago

Earlier discussion (not on the record, but the route): https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12738077 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12738077 Key takeaways: - This is a new route (started in Dec 2015) - AI recently got permissions to use the Chinese Air Space for the route - The jetstream optimisations are a service provided by Boeing, and AI just started subscribing to them.

rhaps0dy 10y ago

Pardon my naiveté, but, why didn't anyone do this before? Isn't it easier to fly if you take less time because you have tailwinds?

idlewords 10y ago
It's done routinely, but Air India just started to do this on a long-haul route and are publicizing it.
- Someone 10y ago
  For example, over the Atlantic, there is a highly formalized system for this. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Atlantic_Tracks#Route_planning https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Atlantic_Tracks#Route_pl...: "these routes […] are aligned in such a way as to minimize any head winds and maximize tail winds impact on the aircraft. This results in much more efficiency by reducing fuel burn and flight time. To make such efficiencies possible, the routes are created twice daily to take account of the shifting of the winds" Reading https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Atlantic_Tracks#History https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Atlantic_Tracks#History system, that system's history goes back to 1898 (for shipping), but it definitely became structured starting in 1965. So yes, the idea isn't new.
kumarski 10y ago
All sorts of faster distance opportunities exist. one of the safety regulations relies on close landing strips within 300mi of any plane or something like that. God, wish I could find the article on that....
- JshWright 10y ago
  It's less about distance, and more about time (i.e. how long the plane can fly with an engine out). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ETOPS https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ETOPS
tomhoward 10y ago
According to the comment above, they only just got permission to start flying in China air space.

idlewords 10y ago

Note that this is a record for passenger service. Boeing flew a 777 without passengers for 22:42 and a distance of 21,601 km. http://boeing.mediaroom.com/2005-11-10-Boeing-777-200LR-Sets-New-World-Record-for-Distance http://boeing.mediaroom.com/2005-11-10-Boeing-777-200LR-Sets...

danieltillett 10y ago
My god I would not want to be stuck down in economy for that flight.
- idlewords 10y ago
  "Our in-flight entertainment today will be Garfield 2 and Garden State"
nashashmi 10y ago
So the speed on that flight would be 951 km/hr. Wikipedia article states the max speed for 777 is 950 km/hr. In this AI flight plan, the speed is 1055 km/hr. A new speed record in its own right.
- caf 10y ago
  Maximum aircraft speed is airspeed not ground speed.
- dingaling 10y ago
  1055 km/h is far from a ground-speed record for airliners. North Pacific tailwinds can push them over 1200 .
caf 10y ago
It's not even a record for a passenger service, Singapore Airlines Changi to Newark service was slightly longer. They're going to be reintroducing that service when they get their A350-900ULR aircraft delivered.
- 10y ago

gnipgnip 10y ago

Sweet AI turning a profit ? I must've been a dove-eyed kid when that last happened. Won't they have to fly back over the Atlantic from SFO, though ? Also, if the AI boffins are listening: - "एअर् " -> "अय्र्" ( एचोऽयवायावः ). पदे नित्या संहिताम् करवामहै ! - Please don't make us change over in Delhi! Not all of us wish to honor Herr Gandhi, nor step onto the land of the Mughal-British retainers. - Mumbai too sucks balls; one wrong call and a taxi man outside the airport steals $100! - More importantly: South India has all the software man! BLR-SFO flight would've made a lot more sense. Seriously, what was AI thinking ? That India's bureaucracy would transform Silicon Valley, by teaching them the dark arts ?

morekozhambu 10y ago
vAyubhArata: iti nAmam sundarataram |
- gnipgnip 10y ago
  अपि "हंसध्वज" वा "जटायु"। परन्तु असम्भवम् आङ्लराज्ये परिवर्तनम् । :(