We already know that Australia’s isolation usually means boarding long-haul flights to get anywhere, but the country is also home to several long narrowbody flights, including Singapore Airlines to Cairns, Virgin Australia’s operations to Bali, and the highly unique Guangzhou to Darwin. The 10 longest Boeing 737 MAX 8 flights to Australia, based on block time, easily exceed six hours.
According to Cirium, an online aviation analytics company, these services evidently serve a range of markets . Whether it be for VFR and tourism (like Bali) or feeding into carriers’ wider international networks and hubs like Malaysia Airlines to Kuala Lumpur, Fiji Airways to Nadi, and China Southern’s unique operation between Guangzhou and Darwin.
The Longest 737 MAX 8 Flight To Australia Comes From Singapore
Singapore Airlines is a major player in the Australian aviation scene, the largest foreign operating carrier by capacity according to Australian Aviation, with services to and from Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) to most major Australian cities. The airline operates to Brisbane, Cairns, Darwin, Perth, Sydney, and Melbourne, with extra services set to serve Western Sydney from later this year.
While the majority of services are operated by widebody aircraft, those to Australia’s top end, like Darwin and Cairns(CNS), are operated by narrowbody aircraft most of the time. The airline’s nonstop service to Cairns during the wet season is operated with the 737 MAX 8 and holds the title of the longest international MAX 8 service to the country.
Singapore’s service to Cairns is the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef and Far North Queensland. The service to Cairns, back to the airline’s hub in Singapore, has a total flight time of six hours and 45 minutes gate-to-gate.
Cairns Airport (CNS) – Singapore Changi Airport (SIN)
Bali Remains A Popular Destination For Australian Travelers With The MAX 8
If you ever needed more convincing that the Indonesian island of Bali is a mecca for Australian travelers, then the below should suffice. Most major Australian and Indonesian carriers have a slice of this market, with both Jetstar, Qantas, and Garuda Indonesia all operating on the route (albeit, with other aircraft than the 737 MAX 8).
Virgin Australia flies to Bali from Canberra, Sydney, Gold Coast, Brisbane, and Melbourne with the MAX 8, while additional services are operated from Perth on a different plane.
The longest route by Virgin Australia, and the second-longest overall in the analysis, is its service to the Australian capital, Canberra, with a maximum block time of six hours and 45 minutes. Additional MAX 8 services are complemented between Brisbane and Melbourne to Bali, where Batik Air Malaysia also operates the type on the route.
Canberra Airport (CBR) – Denpasar International Airport (DPS)
Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport (SYD) – Denpasar International Airport (DPS)
Gold Coast Airport (OOL) – Denpasar International Airport (DPS)
Brisbane Airport (BNE) – Denpasar International Airport (DPS)
Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport (SYD) – Denpasar International Airport (DPS)
Melbourne Airport (MEL) – Denpasar International Airport (DPS)
Qantas’ Sydney to London A380 route, with a stop in Singapore, is the longest at an impressive 25 hours and 30 minutes.
China Southern, Fiji Airways, and Malaysia Airlines Are Notable Mentions
Rounding out the top 10 are three unique routes you may not realize exist. At 5th place overall, Fiji Airways narrowbody service between Nadi Airport (NAN) and Adelaide Airport (ADL) has a max block time of six hours, 35 minutes. This route is popular not only for point-to-point travel but also for leveraging the wider international network across the South Pacific and North America for the Fijian oneworld partner airline.
China Southern Airlines made headlines last year when it announced its intentions to serve the Northern Territory, with a service from Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (CAN) to Darwin International Airport(DRW). This route is the only service in the airline’s network to Australia that uses a narrowbody, and the max gate-to-gate flight time is over six hours.
Darwin International Airport (DRW) – Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (CAN)
Perth Airport (PER) – Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KUL)
Rounding out the list is that of Malaysia Airlines, with its MAX 8 service between Perth Airport (PER) and Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KUL), showing that, irrespective of where you are in Australia, it’s not that hard to find some of the longest routes in the country with the MAX 8, and that they fly to some pretty exciting destinations.
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