For the first time in years, a commercial passenger plane has flown across the Atlantic in less than five hours.

A British Airways flight landed early Sunday morning at Heathrow Airport in London after leaving John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York just four hours and 56 minutes earlier.

That set a new speed record for subsonic — or slower than the speed of sound — commercial aircraft to fly between the two cities, according to Flightradar24, which tracks global flights.

The previous record was held by a Norwegian Air flight, which flew between the two cities with a flight time of five hours and 13 minutes.

The flight had been expected to take 102 minutes longer. The recent average flight time between New York and London is 6 hours and 13 minutes, according to Flightradar24.

The wind and air currents were ideal for a fast flight, said Ian Petchenik, Flightradar24’s director of communications. “In the winter, the jet stream dips down a bit,” he said. “It’s kind of in a perfect spot for flights across the North Atlantic to take advantage of it.”

British Airways just narrowly beat out a Virgin Atlantic flight, which arrived in London at around the same time but one minute slower.

British Airways confirmed the flight time for the Boeing 747 plane, saying the company prioritizes safety over speed.

The supersonic Concorde flights used to fly across the Atlantic in just over three hours, but stopped flying in 2003.

By Associated Press February 10, 2020

Source: British Airways Flight Crosses the Atlantic in Less Than 5 Hours

British Airways has officially broken the record for the fastest flight time from New York to London. BA 112, a Boeing 747-400, flew from New York to London in 4 hours and 56 minutes beating Norwegian’s previous record of 5 hours and 13 minutes. Additionally, two Virgin Atlantic A350-1000s flew from New York to London in under 5 hours but not as short as British Airways 112. This record was broken thanks to Storm Ciara’s 200 mph tailwind. ✈ Ishrion Aviation is an Aviation Channel bringing you premium trip reports/reviews and the latest aviation news and developments to your fingertips. ▶️ If you enjoyed this video, make sure to subscribe for more interesting aviation content! https://www.youtube.com/c/IshrionAvia…

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