Air India's Delhi to San Francisco flight becomes the world's longest non-stop journey (after switching route to cross Pacific instead of Atlantic ocean)

Air India has won the world title for the longest non-stop flight route.

The airline's flight from Delhi to San Francisco was originally the second longest flight, behind the Emirates Auckland to Dubai flight that took 8,825 miles. 

But earlier this month, Air India switched the direction its flight took to get to San Francisco, traversing the Pacific Ocean instead of the Atlantic Ocean. 

The change added 870 miles to the route, giving it a total of 9,506 miles and nabbing the company the 'world's longest' title. 

Incredibly though, although the route was significantly longer, it took almost two hours less than the original journey - lasting 14 hours and 30 minutes in total. 

The time saving came down to strong tailwinds, which occur when the plane is heading in the same direction as the wind. 

This means that the winds push the plane along, helping it to travel faster. 

The photograph you see above is of the proud crew of Air India that flew from New Delhi to San Francisco in what is considered now to be the world’s longest non-stop flight. The flight took 14-and-a-half hours to cover the mammoth 15,300 kilometre distance and essentially circumnavigating the globe. The crew took off at 4 am on October 16 from Delhi reaching their destination in the US at 6 am the same day, trudging briefly into October 15 as they crossed the International Date Line.

THE CURRENT LONGEST FLIGHTS IN THE WORLD

1. Delhi-San Francisco, Air India - 8,825 miles, 14 hours and 30 minutes 
2. Auckland-Dubai, Emirates - 8,825 miles, 17 hours and 20 minutes 
3. Sydney-Dallas, Qantas – 8,578 miles, 16 hours and 55 minutes
4. Jeddah-Los Angeles, Saudia – 8,332 miles, 16 hours and 40 minutes
5. Johannesburg-Atlanta, Delta Air Lines – 8,439 miles, 16 hours and 40 minutes
6. Dubai-Los Angeles, Emirates – 8,339 miles, 16 hours and 35 minutes 
7.  Abu Dhabi-Los Angeles, Etihad Airways – 8,390 miles, 16 hours and 30 minutes.
8. Doha-Los Angeles, Qatar Airways – 8,306 miles, 16 hours and 25 minutes
9. Dallas-Hong Kong, American Airlines – 8,123 miles, 16 hours and 20 minutes
10. Dubai-Houston, Emirates – 8,168 miles, 16 hours and 20 minutes
11. Abu Dhabi-Dallas, Etihad Airways – 8,054 miles, 16 hours and 20 minutes
12. Doha-Houston, Qatar Airways – 8,047 miles, 16 hours and 20 minutes.