National Airlines Sets New Record with 9,849-Nautical-Mile Cargo Flight

A Boeing 777 Freighter belonging to National Airlines flew an unprecedented 9,849-nautical-mile leg from Prestwick, Scotland to Melbourne, Australia on August 4, 2026. The flight, which lasted 19 hours and 23 minutes, was the longest commercial Boeing 777F cargo flight ever operated with cargo on behalf of another airline.

The reason for this marathon flight was a grounded Jetstar 787-8 Dreamliner at Melbourne's Tullamarine airport. The airliner had been waiting since late July for new thrust-reverser components for its GEnx engines, which were located in Prestwick. Rather than routing the parts through connecting freighters, National Airlines chartered a dedicated 777F to fly them directly.

The flight became a spectator sport, with tens of thousands of people tracking the aircraft's progress on Flightradar24. Although flying a full load would have limited its range, the lightly loaded 777F had enough fuel to cross most of the planet in a single leg.