Feb 9, 2020 - Economy

British Airways rides storm winds in record-breaking transatlantic flight

Jacob Knutson

A British Airways flight taking off from Heathrow Airport on Feb. 7 — A British Airways flight taking off from Heathrow Airport, Feb. 7. Photo: Steve Parsons/PA Images via Getty Images

British Airways on Sunday flew the fastest-ever New York to London subsonic flight, completing the 3,451-mile trip in 4 hours and 56 minutes as Storm Ciara barreled toward the U.K., according to Flightradar24, a flight-tracking service.

The big picture: The Boeing 747 aircraft arrived at Heathrow airport in Longford, England, almost two hours earlier than scheduled, and reached a top speed of 825 mph during the flight.

Norwegian Air Shuttle set the previous record of 5 hours and 13 minutes in January 2018.

What they're saying: "We always prioritise safety over speed records, but our highly trained pilots made the most of the conditions to get customers back to London well ahead of time," a spokesperson for British Airways told CNN.

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British Airways rides storm winds in record-breaking transatlantic flight

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