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Do you know the real difference between short-haul and long-haul flights? Read here to debunk aviation myths!
In the airline industry, flight length or distance refers to the distance flown. However, aircraft do not necessarily follow the shortest distance and may choose longer routes due to weather, traffic, use of jets or refueling. Commercial airlines often categorize flights as short-haul, medium-haul or long-haul based on flight length, although there is no international standard definition.
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) defines flight time as "the total time from the moment the aircraft first moves for takeoff to the moment it finally comes to rest at the end of the flight."
In commercial aviation, this means the time from pushback at the departure gate to arrival at the destination gate. Flight times are calculated in hours and minutes and do not depend on actual geographical distance. Factors that affect flight times include wind speed, traffic conditions, taxi time and aircraft used.
Definition of short-haul flights and long-haul flights
Depending on the length of the flight, it may be described using aviation terms "flight transportation type" such as "short-haul" or "long-haul." These types of definitions can be divided based on flight distance or flight time.
Time-based definition
Many aviation experts and organizations classify short-haul and long-haul flights. For example, David W. Large believes that medium-haul flights should be between 1,600 and 4,000 kilometers, while short-haul flights are shorter and long-haul flights are relatively longer.
Distance-based definition
Different countries and airlines define short-haul and long-haul flights differently. Taking Hong Kong International Airport as an example, it considers all flights to the Americas, Europe and the Middle East as long-haul flights, while other flights are considered short-haul flights. Japan Airlines considers flights to Europe and North America as long-haul and other flights as short-haul.
The EU defines flights between any city pairs between 1,500 and 3,500 kilometers as medium-haul, anything below this range as short-haul, and anything above this range as long-haul.
Super special flight
The shortest commercial flight is from Westray to Papa Westray, operated by Loganair, which is 2.8 kilometers away and has a planned flight time of two minutes. Compared with the shortest flight, the longest commercial flight in the world is Air Tahiti Nui's TN64 flight in 2020, which flies directly from Tahiti in Polynesia to Paris, with a flight distance of 15,715 kilometers and an estimated flight time of 16 hours and 20 minutes.
The difference between flight range and actual flight time
Even for flights with the same origin and destination, the length of the flight can be affected by the route, wind direction, traffic, taxiing time, or the type of aircraft used. For example, Luxair flights from Luxembourg to Bucharest have flight times that vary depending on the aircraft used.
The truth about aviation myths
As for the many misunderstandings in the aviation industry, understanding the actual operation process and related data of flights will help us understand the difference between flight time and voyage. Short-haul and long-haul flights are not just a matter of distance, there are more choices and considerations behind them.
When analyzing flight types, the question we need to think about is: Is the duration of a flight the only factor that affects passenger experience?
