Difficulty: Medium
Correct Answer: Qatar Airways
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
Airlines compete to operate record breaking long haul flights, and such achievements often receive global media coverage. The world's longest scheduled non stop commercial flight for a particular period involved an ultra long route covering thousands of kilometres and many hours of flying time. This question asks which airline launched that flight, a fact that appears in international business and general knowledge sections.
Given Data / Assumptions:
Concept / Approach:
Qatar Airways launched a record breaking non stop flight between Doha (Qatar) and Auckland (New Zealand), which was at one time considered the longest scheduled commercial flight in terms of distance and duration. While Air India also operates long non stop flights (such as Delhi to San Francisco), the specific exam oriented news item about the "world's longest" scheduled flight during that timeframe highlighted Qatar Airways. Remembering this association enables the candidate to select the correct answer from the options.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall news articles mentioning an ultra long distance flight operated by Qatar Airways between Doha and Auckland.
Step 2: Note that this flight was described as the world's longest scheduled commercial flight at the time of launch, with a duration of around 17 to 18 hours.
Step 3: Compare this recollection with the options: Qatar Airways, British Airways, JetBlue and Air India.
Step 4: Recognise that British Airways and JetBlue have long haul services, but were not highlighted for this particular record in the relevant period.
Step 5: Understand that while Air India operates long non stop flights, especially to North America, the specific "world's longest flight" headline in exam notes belongs to Qatar Airways. Therefore, choose Qatar Airways.
Verification / Alternative check:
Verification involves recalling the key phrase used in many current affairs summaries: "Qatar Airways has launched the world's longest commercial flight between Doha and Auckland." This exact wording appears frequently in exam oriented material, making the connection between the record and Qatar Airways very clear.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
British Airways: Although it operates many long haul flights, it was not the airline credited with launching the longest scheduled flight in the time frame referred to in the question.
JetBlue: JetBlue is primarily a US based low cost carrier and is not known for ultra long haul intercontinental flights of record breaking distance.
Air India: Air India has been associated with long non stop flights like Delhi San Francisco, but the exam question about the world's longest scheduled flight is specifically tied to Qatar Airways Doha Auckland route.
Common Pitfalls:
Candidates may confuse different aviation records such as longest distance, longest duration, or highest altitude and attribute them to the wrong airline. Another pitfall is to automatically choose Air India whenever a question mentions records, assuming that the national carrier must hold every title. Careful reading of current affairs and differentiating between various aviation records helps avoid these mistakes.
Final Answer:
The airline that launched the world's longest scheduled non stop commercial flight on the route referred to in the question is Qatar Airways.
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