The coronavirus has resulted in Air Tahiti Nui breaking the record for world’s longest flight. Travel bans implemented as a result of COVID-19 meant the airline had to make the long flight without its usual stop-over.
The plane was flying from Tahiti, French Polynesia, to Paris, France on 14 March. It completed the 15,715 km journey without its usual stop-over in Los Angeles LAX Airport.
Since the US has implemented a travel ban, flight TN064 had to carry on its journey. It left at 3 a.m. local time from Papeete Airport in Tahiti and arrived in Paris at 6:30 am local time on 15 March. The entire flight lasted 15 hours, 45 minutes.
‘This flight was operated on an exceptional basis and within the constraints imposed by the American authorities in the face of the Covid-19 epidemic,’ an Air Tahiti Nui spokesperson told CNN Travel in a statement.
The flight was able to operate under incredible conditions with a ‘reinforced crew’ which included four pilots and was undertaken in a Boeing 787-9, twin-engine Dreamliner. It also helped that the plane was quite empty, making it more fuel-efficient.
On top of breaking the overall record for world’s longest flight, Air Tahiti Nui also gained the title of world’s longest domestic flight as French Polynesia is a collectivity of France.
Image: BenAirplane/Twitter
