London-A Boeing co. jet arrived in London from Hong Kong on today, breaking the rocord for the longest nonstop flight by a commerial jet.
The 777-200LR Worldliner--one of Boeings newest planes--touched down at London's Heathrow Airport after a journey of more then 13.422 miles. The previous record was set when a Boeing 747-400 flew 10,500 miles from London to Sydney in 1989.
A representative of Guiness World Records, which monitored the flight, presented Boeing's Lars Andersen with a certific confirming it was for the longest nonstop commecial flight.
Captain Suzanne Darcy-Hennemann, was at the controls when the plane left Hong Kong, said the trip east across the Pacific had been bumpy.
"But we had a great ride across the United States...and across the Alantic we saw our second sunrise of the trip," she said.
The jet spent 22 hours and 43 minutes in the air.
Andersen said the Hong Kong-to-London flight showed the future of air travel.
"With the 777-200LR, we are changing the world," he said. "Passengers and crew, including Boeing representatives, journalists and customers.
The record-breaking attempt is part of Boeings fierce competition with its European rival Airbus. The Boeing 777-200LR Worldliner was designed to compete directly with the popular Airbus 340-500, which has a range of 10,380 miles.
Boeing said that after leaving Hong Kong, the jet flew across the northen Pacific Ocean before reaching North America, where it flew over Los Angeles, then slightly south of Chicago and over New York before crusing over the Alantic Ocean to London. Hong Kong-London flights usually fly over Russia.
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