summary
Singapore Airlines’ daily flight to Los Angeles via Tokyo Narita is Los Angeles’ longest-served passenger route. The longest nonstop flight is to Changi, operated by the same airline. US airlines have appeared on Los Angeles’ longest airport pairings list three times.
Los Angeles International Airport is the 10th busiest airport in the world for long-haul traffic from June to September 2024. This is based on looking at all services at least 2,600 nautical miles (4,815 km) away (what I call long-haul), using OAG schedules data. Los Angeles averages 89 long-haul departures per day, but that number will rise to 97 per day in July.
Longest Airport Pair
The following table summarizes them using nautical miles and maximum block times. If long enough, we’ve included all services with one connection, same plane, and same flight number between two airport pairs.
Photo: Fasttailwind | Shutterstock
Please take note of the following precautions:
This data is for June through September only; other times of the year may vary. Distances are great circles and order may vary in actual operation. Order may vary slightly if maximum block times were used instead. Information is subject to change.
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying
Nautical miles (km)
Maximum Block Time for Airport Pairs*
From Los Angeles…
Comments from June to September only
7,625 (14,122)
19 hr 55 min
Singapore via Tokyo and Narita
Singapore Airlines Daily 777-300ER
7,621 (14,113)
17 hr 10 min
Singapore
Singapore Airlines 10 direct flights per week A350-900
7,246 (13,420)
16 hr 20 min
Dubai
Emirates A380 flights
7,217 (13,367)
16:00
Doha
Qatar Airways A350-1000 from 10 weekly flights to 2 daily flights
6,883 (12,748)
15 hr 55 min
Melbourne
Qantas 787-9 and A380* operate daily to nine times a week, while United operates three times a week 787-9
6,582 (12,189)
14 hr 55 min
Tel Aviv
El Al 8 flights per week 787-8/787-9
6,507 (12,051)
15 hr 35 min
Sydney
American Airlines 777-300ER daily, Delta A350-900 daily, Qantas A380/787-9 daily, United Airlines 787-9 daily
6,348 (11,756)
14 hr 50 min
Manila
Philippine Airlines to reduce 777-300ER flights from 12 per week to 2 per day
6,309 (11,684)
15 hr 30 min
Hong Kong
Cathay Pacific 777-300ER 13 flights per week, United Airlines 787-9 daily
6,298 (11,664)
15 hr 15 min
Shenzhen
Air China 777-300ER weekly flight
* Regardless of airline, at any time during the survey period, in either direction
* Two A380 flights per week ** Only six 787-9 flights, all other flights are A380
Qatar Airways in Los Angeles
Oneworld airlines have been serving Los Angeles since 2016, later than Emirates from Dubai (2008), Turkish Airlines from Istanbul (2011), Etihad Airways from Abu Dhabi (2014, but the route will be discontinued in 2020), and Saudia Airlines from the US (2014).
RELATED Up to 17 flights daily: A look back at Qatar Airways’ record-breaking U.S. operations Coincidentally, the airline’s first passenger flight to the U.S. took place 17 years ago.
Qatar Airways is currently operating 10 weekly flights to Los Angeles in June, but will double that number in July and August to take advantage of peak summer demand, before returning to 10 weekly flights in September.
According to US Department of Transportation T-100 data, Qatar Airways carried 1.37 million passengers to and from Los Angeles between 2016 and 2023. Its average seat load factor (SLF) was 81% during this period, but achieved a record high of 87% in 2023. As always, SLF should not be considered in isolation.
Related 20+ Flights per Week: The 13 Most Operated International Airbus A350 Routes in the World Only one route was selected, between Europe and North America.
Where Qatar Airways passengers go
Bookings data for 2023 suggests that around three-quarters of Los Angeles passengers will transfer to another flight in Doha, which is not surprising: India, Armenia, Iran and Saudi Arabia were the most important country markets, accounting for more than one in two connecting passengers in these countries.
Photo: Robin Guess | Shutterstock
At the airport level, Los Angeles-Yerevan is by far the most popular departure point, benefiting from Aeroflot not serving the region due to sanctions. The Los Angeles metropolitan area is notable for having the largest Armenian population in the U.S. This is followed by Los Angeles-Tehran, followed by Delhi, Mumbai, Beirut, Cairo, Amman, Hyderabad, Kuwait and Nairobi.
What do you think? Let us know in the comments section.