3 days Ago By Mia Ping-Chieh Chen
For some travelers, the countdown to 2025 will take place not on the ground, but aboard an aircraft. Passengers flying on New Year's Eve might wonder: Will the countdown occur during pushback or while speeding down the runway for takeoff? Count down As the world gets ready to usher in 2025, aviation analytics company Cirium data shows that 47 flights worldwide are scheduled to take off at exactly 23:59 on New Year’s Eve, marking an unintended yet fascinating overlap of aviation schedules with the turn of the year. These flights, spanning domestic and international routes, are not part of any deliberate tradition but happen to coincide with the final minute of the year.
Passengers onboard these journeys will find themselves crossing into 2025 midair, experiencing a unique perspective on the New Year transition. Despite the fact that many airports will be crowded with vacationers, the exact schedule of these flights highlights the complexity of international scheduling. In order to maximize efficiency and satisfy the demand for international travel, airlines follow rigorous schedules, which results in these fascinating coincidences.
Long-haul flights Among the flights leading the charge are long-haul international journeys. For oneworld alliance members, Iberia (IB) dominates this category with departures from Madrid Barajas Airport (MAD) to Santiago (SCL), Buenos Aires (EZE), and Montevideo (MVD), all utilizing their Airbus A350-900 aircraft. These flights, ranging from 6,165 to 6,647 miles in length, represent some of the longest scheduled services that depart at 23:59.
Alaska Airlines , an oneworld partner, is operating several transcontinental and Hawaii services, including Central American presence with a 2,627-mile service from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Liberia , Costa Rica (LIR) operated by a Boeing 737-900ER. KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, a SkyTeam member is maintaining its strong presence in Africa , with flights scheduled from Cape Town (CPT), Dar es Salaam (DAR), and Nairobi (NBO) to its headquarters in Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (AMS). The airline is deploying its Boeing 777-300ER and Boeing 777-200 aircraft on these routes, showcasing the carrier's commitment to connecting Africa with its European hub.
Among Asian carriers, Thai Airways with Star Alliance is maintaining its strong presence in the region with a significant Bangkok (BKK) to Osaka-Kansai (KIX) route, deploying a Boeing 777-300ER configured with 303 seats for the 2,584-mile journey. Delta Air Lines also operates several significant transcontinental and international routes during the late-night period. To maintain its presence in South America, Delta has a flight scheduled before midnight with a Boeing 757 service from Quito (UIO) to Atlanta (ATL), spanning 2,356 miles and highlighting the importance of connecting secondary South American markets to major US hubs.
Closer to home On the domestic front, US-based carriers are a major part of the 23:59 "celebration." Alaska Airlines is operating several transcontinental and Hawaii services, including a notable Kona (KOA) to Anchorage (ANC) route. At 2,874 miles, this is the longest flight that departs one minute before midnight.
American Airlines continues the oneworld representation with flights like Seattle (SEA) and Los Angeles to Charlotte (CLT). United Airlines operates two significant domestic services departing at 23:59: a Boeing 737 MAX 8 from Lihue (LIH) to San Francisco (SFO) and another from Anchorage (ANC) to Denver (DEN). These routes cover distances of 2,447 and 2,405 miles, respectively.
Low-cost options In the low-cost carrier segment, Spirit Airlines, Frontier Airlines, and JetBlue are maintaining their presence on various domestic and Caribbean routes. Spirit Airlines is operating a significant Lima (LIM) to Fort Lauderdale (FLL) service, which is the 10th longest flight that departs at 23:59, demonstrating the growing importance of South American markets for budget carriers. The world's busiest airport celebrates a 100-year journey from its modest beginnings to its current status as a global transportation leader.
The shortest flight on the list At the other end of the distance spectrum, the schedule reveals several notably short routes operating during the late-night period. Kenya Airways operates the shortest flight in the dataset, connecting Nairobi (NBO) with Mombasa (MBA) across just 262 miles using an Embraer E90 aircraft configured with 96 seats. LATAM provides another example of shorter regional service, with its Puerto Montt (PMC) to Santiago (SCL) route covering 569 miles with an Airbus A321, demonstrating the continued importance of late-night connectivity even on shorter domestic routes.
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