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A BOEING 777 heralded a new era of travel yesterday with a flight lasting nearly 23 hours that included two sunrises.
The jet arrived in London from Hong Kong after 22 hours and 43 minutes in the air, breaking the record for the longest non-stop flight by a commercial jet.
Lars Andersen, of Boeing, said the flight showed the future of air travel. "With the 777-200LR Worldliner, passengers can fly commercially between just about any two cities non-stop."
The record-breaking attempt is part of Boeing's fierce competition with its European rival Airbus. The Worldliner, which can carry about 300 passengers, competes directly with the Airbus 340-500 which has a flight range of 10,380 miles and carries slightly more people.
The Worldliner touched down just after 1pm at Heathrow after a journey of 13,422 miles. Fire crews poured water over it in celebration as it taxied to a halt.
Boeing said that after leaving Hong Kong, the jet flew across the northern Pacific Ocean to North America, where it flew over Los Angeles, then slightly south of Chicago and over New York and across the Atlantic Ocean to London. Hong Kong-London flights usually fly over Russia.
The previous record for the longest non-stop commercial flight was set by a Boeing 747-400 that flew 10,500 miles from London to Sydney in 1989.
Captain Suzanna Darcy-Hennemann, who was at the controls as the plane left Hong Kong, said: "We had fantastic weather leaving Hong Kong. Across the Atlantic we saw our second sunrise of the trip. I will sleep well tonight."
A BOEING 777 heralded a new era of travel yesterday with a flight lasting nearly 23 hours that included two sunrises.
The jet arrived in London from Hong Kong after 22 hours and 43 minutes in the air, breaking the record for the longest non-stop flight by a commercial jet.
Lars Andersen, of Boeing, said the flight showed the future of air travel. "With the 777-200LR Worldliner, passengers can fly commercially between just about any two cities non-stop."
The record-breaking attempt is part of Boeing's fierce competition with its European rival Airbus. The Worldliner, which can carry about 300 passengers, competes directly with the Airbus 340-500 which has a flight range of 10,380 miles and carries slightly more people.
The Worldliner touched down just after 1pm at Heathrow after a journey of 13,422 miles. Fire crews poured water over it in celebration as it taxied to a halt.
Boeing said that after leaving Hong Kong, the jet flew across the northern Pacific Ocean to North America, where it flew over Los Angeles, then slightly south of Chicago and over New York and across the Atlantic Ocean to London. Hong Kong-London flights usually fly over Russia.
The previous record for the longest non-stop commercial flight was set by a Boeing 747-400 that flew 10,500 miles from London to Sydney in 1989.
Captain Suzanna Darcy-Hennemann, who was at the controls as the plane left Hong Kong, said: "We had fantastic weather leaving Hong Kong. Across the Atlantic we saw our second sunrise of the trip. I will sleep well tonight."
A BOEING 777 heralded a new era of travel yesterday with a flight lasting nearly 23 hours that included two sunrises.
The jet arrived in London from Hong Kong after 22 hours and 43 minutes in the air, breaking the record for the longest non-stop flight by a commercial jet.
Lars Andersen, of Boeing, said the flight showed the future of air travel. "With the 777-200LR Worldliner, passengers can fly commercially between just about any two cities non-stop."
The record-breaking attempt is part of Boeing's fierce competition with its European rival Airbus. The Worldliner, which can carry about 300 passengers, competes directly with the Airbus 340-500 which has a flight range of 10,380 miles and carries slightly more people.
The Worldliner touched down just after 1pm at Heathrow after a journey of 13,422 miles. Fire crews poured water over it in celebration as it taxied to a halt.
Boeing said that after leaving Hong Kong, the jet flew across the northern Pacific Ocean to North America, where it flew over Los Angeles, then slightly south of Chicago and over New York and across the Atlantic Ocean to London. Hong Kong-London flights usually fly over Russia.
The previous record for the longest non-stop commercial flight was set by a Boeing 747-400 that flew 10,500 miles from London to Sydney in 1989.
Captain Suzanna Darcy-Hennemann, who was at the controls as the plane left Hong Kong, said: "We had fantastic weather leaving Hong Kong. Across the Atlantic we saw our second sunrise of the trip. I will sleep well tonight."
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