Boeing jet to set world's longest nonstop flight record

Boeing Co. plans to break the record for the longest nonstop flight by a commercial jet - a trip that is to begin in Hong Kong, fly over North America and land in London, the company said Wednesday.

"We plan to smash the current record," said Captain Suzanna Darcy-Hennemann, one of four pilots who is flying the Boeing 777-200LR.

The flight, which was to take off later Wednesday, will take about 23 hours and cover more than 20,300 kilometers, a Boeing statement said. The plane will have 35 passengers, including Boeing representatives, journalists and customers.

The jet plans to fly farther than a Boeing 747-400 that flew 17,039 from London to Sydney in 1989, the company said.

After leaving Hong Kong, the jet is to fly to the northern Pacific Ocean, cross North America and cruise over the Atlantic Ocean to London, said Chuck Cadena, a Boeing spokesman.

The record-breaking attempt is part of Boeing's fierce competition with its European rival, Airbus SAS, the AP reports.

V.Y.