Analyzing the longest flights in the world can be eye-opening as sometimes you will learn about routes you never knew existed. We've been publishing quite a few articles on the world's longest flights, and today, we will focus on the longest routes between Europe and Asia. This "Top Ten" list will not only include nonstop flights but direct flight options as well.

London Gatwick - Shanghai

In tenth place is the London Gatwick, UK (LGW) to Shanghai Pudong, China (PVG) route at 5,761 miles (9,271 kilometers). This barely edges out the London Heathrow (LHR) to Pudong route as that route is 5,754 miles (9,260 kilometers). Gatwick to Pudong is served twice daily by two mainland Chinese airlines.

Air China operates a daily service using the Airbus A350-900, while China Eastern Airlines operates a daily service with the Boeing 777-300ER. The flights on this route range from 10-12 hours, with the westbound flight (to London) being the longest of the two legs.

London Heathrow - Bangkok

Next is London Heathrow (LHR), which goes to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi, Thailand (BKK). This route covers 5,958 miles (9,588 kilometers) and is served by two airlines. Thai Airways operates the route twice daily using the Boeing 777-300ER. Star Alliance partner EVA Air operates the route as well. Instead of flying nonstop to its Taipei (TPE) hub, the Taiwanese carrier has a daily service from Heathrow to Taipei that stops in Bangkok. This operates as flights BR67/68 and is EVA Air's only service to London.

LHR-BKK has a flight time ranging from 10-12 hours, depending on the direction of travel.

British Airways will soon enter the London-Bangkok market when it launches flights from Gatwick Airport on October 28. The LGW-BKK route is five miles shorter than LHR-BKK at 5,953 miles. This means that once BA launches LGW-BKK, the route will replace LGW-PVG for the tenth place ranking.

Manchester - Hong Kong

Cathay Pacific's five-weekly service between Manchester, UK (MAN) and Hong Kong (HKG) is currently the eighth-longest route between Europe and Asia. This flight traverses 5,988 miles (9,637 kilometers) in around 12-14 hours, depending on the direction of travel. The westbound journey to Manchester is the longer of the two legs.

Cathay Pacific launched this nonstop service to Manchester in 2018. The carrier has operated the Airbus A350-1000 on this route in the past but currently flies the smaller A350-900.

London Heathrow - Hong Kong

Another UK-Hong Kong route makes the list, this being the nonstop link between London Heathrow (LHR) and Hong Kong. This route is operated by four airlines, two of which, British Airways and Cathay Pacific, offer passenger service. In 2023, Hong Kong was Heathrow's 13th-busiest international destination, serving roughly 1,184,050 passengers. This was a massive 395.08% increase from the year prior, which makes sense given how restricted travel to Hong Kong was during the pandemic.

LHR-HKG covers 5,994 miles (9,646 kilometers) in 12-14 hours. Cathay Pacific serves the route four times daily with the Airbus A350-900 and Boeing 777-300ER. British Airways operates two daily flights on this route with the Boeing 787-9 and 777-200ER.

London Heathrow - Taipei

While Taiwanese airline EVA Air offers a service to London Heathrow, its iteration stops in Bangkok. However, Taiwanese flag carrier China Airlines has a nonstop route that puts it at the number six spot. London Heathrow to Taipei Taoyuan, Taiwan (TPE) covers 6,091 miles or 9,802 kilometers. China Airlines flies this route five times per week with the Airbus A350-900.

The westbound leg to London takes around 15 hours to complete, while the flight back to Taiwan is shorter at around 12 hours.

London Heathrow - Ho Chi Minh City

Vietnam Airlines' nonstop flight from London Heathrow to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (SGN) is taking the fifth-place spot. This route covers 6,536 miles (10,229 kilometers) in 12-14 hours.

Vietnam Airlines operates this route with the Boeing 787-9 four times weekly. The SkyTeam member is the only airline serving the route at this point.

Vietnam Airlines also operates a route from Heathrow to Hanoi, Vietnam (HAN). However, this route comes in at 5,749 miles, which means it barely misses the "Top Ten" list.

London Heathrow - Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia Airlines' flagship route from London Heathrow to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (KUL) comes in fourth place. This route covers 6,593 miles (10,610 kilometers) and is flown twice daily on the Airbus A350-900. Malaysia Airlines operates flight numbers MH1/2 and MH3/4 in this sector, showcasing its flagship nature. Airlines tend to assign flight numbers "1" and "2" to their most premium or coveted routes.

The westbound journey from KL to London takes roughly 13-14 hours, while the flight back to Malaysia is around 12 hours. This route previously saw the Airbus A380 being used until Malaysia Airlines retired them due to the pandemic. Malaysia Airlines is currently the only airline serving the LHR-KUL route. However, OneWorld partner British Airways will join them when they resume service on November 10.

London Gatwick - Singapore

It's no surprise that a route to Singapore (two of them, actually) made this list. Singapore already hosts two of the world's longest flights, from Newark and New York JFK. But this article is about the longest flights between Europe and Asia. As such, London Gatwick (LGW) to Singapore Changi (SIN) takes the third-place spot at 6,758 miles (10,876 kilometers).

Currently, TUI Airways operates charter flights between the two airports with the Boeing 787-8. The flights take around 12-14 hours. Flag carrier Singapore Airlines will soon launch regular service on the Gatwick-Changi route on June 22, 2024, with the Airbus A350-900.

London Heathrow - Singapore

Much like how New York JFK-Singapore just barely beats out Newark-Singapore, so does London Heathrow-Singapore when put against the route from Gatwick. The Heathrow-Singapore route covers 6,765 miles (10,887 kilometers) and is served by British Airways, Qantas, and Singapore Airlines. LHR-SIN is a busy route with up to seven regular daily flights across the three airlines. Qantas operates one, British Airways has two, and Singapore Airlines has the remaining four.

Qantas serves the route as part of its larger flagship route QF1/2 from Sydney, Australia (SYD) to London via Singapore. This massive journey covers over 10,000 miles and uses the Airbus A380.

Similarly, one of British Airways' two daily flights, BA15/16, operates on the same routing from LHR-SIN-SYD using the Boeing 787-9. The other one, BA11/12, operates solely between LHR-SIN and uses the Airbus A380. Singapore Airlines uses both the Airbus A380 and Boeing 777-300ER on this route.

London Heathrow - Bandar Seri Begawan

The longest flight from Europe to Asia is Royal Brunei Airlines' direct service from London Heathrow to Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei (BWN), which stops in Dubai, UAE (DXB). This is a direct flight, meaning the same aircraft operates from London to Brunei, stopping in Dubai. However, Royal Brunei Airlines has fifth-freedom rights to fly passengers solely between London and Dubai or Brunei and Dubai, or vice versa.

London to Bandar Seri Begawan would be 7,015 miles (11,290 kilometers) nonstop. While Royal Brunei could fly the route nonstop, the carrier opted for a Dubai stopover to potentially attract more passengers. This could be due to lower demand to fly solely between London and Brunei.

The service uses the Boeing 787-8 and covers 7,600 miles (12,231 kilometers), including the Dubai stopover. The LHR-DXB segment takes roughly six to seven hours, with the onward leg to Brunei taking around the same time. Royal Brunei operates the route daily and has served Heathrow since 1991.