The coronavirus pandemic inadvertently caused a new record to be set for the world's longest commercial flight — by distance — after an Air Tahiti Nui plane was forced to fly from French Polynesia to France in an epic, nonstop, 16-hour trip across 9,765-miles. TRAVELING AMID THE CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOWOn March 14, Air Tahiti Nui flight TN064 journeyed from Tahiti to Paris in what would become the longest-ever scheduled passenger flight by distance, The Independent reports. Instead, Air Tahiti Nui officials decided to capitalize on the "favorable winds and light passenger loads" by flying straight to the City of Lights, per The Points Guy. From start to finish, the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner reportedly spent about 15 hours and 45 minutes in the skies. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTERThough the Saturday flight was necessitated by the current travel ban, it smashed Singapore Airlines’ distance record for a 9,534-mile passenger flight between Singapore and Newark, N.J., the New York Post reports.

Source: Fox News March 18, 2020 13:41 UTC