World's Longest

Qantas is to become the first commercial carrier to offer regular non-stop flights directly from Australia to Europe, using the new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. The 14,498 km trip will take around 17 hours, and be the longest direct flight service for a Dreamliner anywhere in the world

A tunnel through the Alps in Switzerland that has taken 17 years to build officially opens today. The Gotthard Base Tunnel stretches for 57 km (35 mi), making it the longest rail tunnel in the world. It is also the world's deepest rail tunnel.

Earlier this month, Emirates commenced flights on what is currently the longest non-stop commercial route in the world between Dubai and Auckland, New Zealand. That claim looks set to last only until December, though, when Qatar Airways will start flying between Auckland and Qatar's capital Doha.

Emirates has completed the first flights on its 8,833-mi (14,215-km) new route between Dubai and Auckland, which is believed to be the longest scheduled commercial flight in the world. It picks up the baton from a Qantas route between Dallas and Fort Worth, which covers 8,578 mi (13,805 km).

Airbus is to supply Singapore Airlines with seven Ultra-Long Range versions of its A350-900 that can fly for up to 19 hours non-stop, allowing the airline to relaunch direct flights between Singapore and the US, including New York.

The Cedar Point theme park in Sandusky, Ohio, has announced a new ride that it says will claim 10 world records. Valravn will apparently be "the world's tallest, fastest and longest dive coaster." It will be 223 ft (68 m) tall, hit speeds of 75 mph (121 km/h) and be 3,415 ft (1,041 m) long.

A Tesla Model S has reportedly been driven 452.8 miles (728.7 km) on a single charge in a feat that, according to driver Bjørn Nyland and the World Record Academy, sets a new world record for an electric production car.

Dubai-based airline Emirates has announced a new service between Dubai, UAE, and Panama City, Panama. The firm says Panama City will be its first gateway into Central America and that the service will be the world’s longest non-stop flight. It will cover 8,588 mi (13,821 km).

Dubai does not do things by half, and a recently-announced development is a good example of that. Meydan One will be a 3,671,000 sq m (39,514,000 sq ft) mixed-use destination. It will boast the world’s tallest residential tower, a cutting-edge mall and the world’s longest indoor ski slope.

The Solar Impulse 2 solar-powered airplane has already broken a world record. By traveling from Muscat, Oman to Ahmedabad, India, it broke the Solar Impulse team's previous record for longest solar-powered straight distance flight between predeclared waypoints.

Alan Eustace, has broken the 128,100-ft (39,045-m) high-altitude skydive record set by Felix Baumgartner in October, 2012. Jumping from a balloon at 135,890 ft (41,419 m) above Roswell, New Mexico, Eustace also set new world records for vertical speed and freefall distance.

Given the ubiquity of air travel nowadays, it can be easy to take it for granted. At its more extreme, however, it can be a remarkable feat of human endeavor. Qantas today provides one such example with the launch of a non-stop A380 service between Sydney and Dallas/Fort Worth.