World’s longest domestic flight beaten by French Bee: an Airbus A350-900’s between Tahiti and Paris Orly

French bee, sister French airline of Air Caraïbes and subsidiary company of the Dubreuil Group, is proud to announce that it has made the longest nonstop domestic commercial flight between Tahiti-Faa’a, French Polynesia and Paris-Orly, France with one of its new generation Airbus A350-900’s.

The A350-900 (registered F-HREY) took off from Tahiti-Faa’a International Airport at 10.51am on Thursday 14 May and landed at Orly at 3:40pm LT on Friday 15 May. The flight time was 16h49 hours, to cover a route of more than 16,129 kilometers.

As a reminder, on Tuesday May 12, 2020, the aircraft had carried out a cargo-only flight from Orly and bound for Tahiti-Faa’a with a stopover in Pointe-à-Pitre (Guadeloupe). Aboard her bunkers, 20 tonnes of medication for French Polynesia. This flight, managed by Hiline Cargo, a specialized subsidiary of the Dubreuil Aéro Group, was loaded by SIFA Logistics.

“We are pleased and proud to have been able to complete this record flight under these exceptional circumstances. We would also like to highlight the commitment of our pilots, all volunteers for these flights, and also all of our partners in Orly and Papeete. This record confirms the Dubreuil Group’s choice of a unique fleet of Airbus A350s. It is the most advanced aircraft in the world in terms of energy efficiency,” emphasizes Muriel Assouline, Managing Director of French bee.

“The flight was carried out under standard performance conditions of the Airbus A350, with an average altitude of 12,500 meters, at a speed of 940 km/h. The A350’s fuel consumption qualities, 25% less than a conventional long-haul aircraft, enabled it to cross these 16,129 kilometers,” explains Ludovic André, Director of Air Operations and Chief Pilot of French bee.