Skip to content
Technology
AI

Airlines Turn to Artificial Intelligence to Reach Ultra-Long Flight Destinations

  • Air NZ and Qantas among carriers undertaking super-long trips
  • Machine learning is essential, route planner Flightkeys says
The longer the route, the more important a flight-planning system becomes because you’re at the limit of the aircraft, typically.
The longer the route, the more important a flight-planning system becomes because you’re at the limit of the aircraft, typically.Photographer: Maika Elan/Bloomberg
By

Marathon commercial flights that test the limits of long-range jets are getting help from an unlikely source to avoid falling short of their destinations: machine-learning algorithms.

At times, Air New Zealand Ltd. has struggled to get all the way to Auckland from New York in a single hop using its Boeing Co. 787s. Qantas Airways Ltd., meanwhile, is adding extra fuel tanks to its Airbus SE A350s before attempting non-stop trips from Sydney to New York and London from late 2025. The 20-hour flights are set to be the world’s longest regular passenger services.