travelinmanS

CPT-FRA, FRA-JNB and DPS-PEK are the longest I've taken.

moondog

I've done PEK-KGH (Kashgar), which might be the longest east-west flight in a single timezone. I think it's around 2000 miles, but I can't say for sure because Great Circle Mapper thinks KGH is in Indonesia.

lsquare

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Might be a bug. You should report it to the developer.

lsquare

No, you're wrong. Kashgar is KHG. No issues with the website. I just test it.

moondog

Oh, you're right. When I plugged KGH into google, it returned results for Kashgar, but now I see that the wiki lists KHG.

In any event, gcm tells that PEK-KHG is 2140 miles. HKG-KHG is 2519 miles, but I don't think that route has ever been served nonstop. SHA-KHG is 2594 miles. This *might* have had nonstop service at some point in the past.

diburning

SHA-HKG was previously served by Cathay Dragon.

moondog

The reason I focused on KHG (Kashgar) is that it is TMK the furthest west airport in China.

diburning

Oops, I misread that!

PES_B1

Do direct flights that involved stops count? CAN-URC-KHG existed during this summer with the CZ dreamliner, 2443 miles if nonstop, 2700 including the stop in URC.

PES_B1

Maybe ikt would be northest airport? IKT-PEK-SIN-PER would work

moondog

I'm pretty sure that KHG is the furthest west airport in the UTC + 8 time zone. If so, we only need to look at the longest flights to there from eastern China. I was surprised to learn about 787 service in the other thread, but the URC stop kills the deal. So, I think PEK is the current longest nonstop flight. China only has one time zone officially.

lsquare

It's what I found to be perplexing when I was in Urumqi back in 2009. They have their own unofficial time. Considering how far Beijing is, China should allow Xinjiang to have its own timezone.

PES_B1

Ghulja, 伊宁县, in "Ili, Xinjiang" with the "YIN" airport is as west as KHG, just slightly north, and there is a MU9762 service to NKG, measuring at 2195 miles, slightly beating the KHG-PEK flight by 50 miles. Also, there is a YIN-WUX service, MU 9792, measuring at 2282 miles, beating the rest, however, this flight travels slightly south as well compared to KHG. Someone mentioned on a trad. Chinese forum that it should be the farthest MU operated flight within China, therefore, unless some dude began chartering a Gulfstream and flying KHG-OHE, although the direct distance is only slightly longer, however, China rarely allow domestic flights going over foreign lands, therefore, it would be slightly 2,500 miles

Both flight time are around 5 hours, about the maximum people would tolerate flying on a 737/A320 anyways.


MU9762 Information:
https://flightaware.com/live/flight/...850Z/ZWYN/ZSNJ
MU 9795 Information
https://ja.flightaware.com/live/flig...830Z/ZWYN/ZSWX


The Xinjiang and GMT+6 stories go forever, even after PRC founded, there were changes back and forth for the official timings until the late 1970's when it is set that they are going to stick with GMT+* for telecommunications and official purposes, however, even administration, school and government affairs there runs on GMT+6, however, they would use GMT+8 and settle everything back by 2 hours. The only thing I knew about Xinjiang that adopted standard GMT+6 is the Gaokao exam, where students there will take exams at the same time as the rest of China do, to them, it is like writing an exam before the sun has even raised, this is to ensure people can't start cheating and taking advantage using time. Unlike IB/SAT, after the Gaokao, you can talk whatever you like to press as everyone writing the same paper would have finished the same time as you.

moondog

I don't find the unofficial time there to be nearly as confusing as the US system, even without taking Daylight Savings into account. The unofficial time is two hours behind Beijing time (which, I learned last week started in Xi'an). So, they start school/work at 10-11a Beijing Time and finish at 5-8p. However, plane, train, and bus schedules operate on Beijing time. This spares people of the need to perform calculations when they fly.

PES_B1

As a Chinese, I think the daylight and summer timings is one of the most confusing things ever made by a human being, somehow, time would just disappear for an hour, and somehow, you repeat an hour back. Very misleading, instead with the one time zone, whether you are calling your client down the beaches in Sanya, or those hunting in Mohe, your time and his time meet up, solving a lot of potential miscommunication issues.