Medium-haul
Flights of roughly three to six hours, long enough to lose the multi-sector rhythm but not long enough for bunk rest.
Definition
Medium-haul covers flights of around three to six hours — a European capital to the Canary Islands or the Gulf, or a US transcontinental. Airlines and regulators do not define the band precisely; it is a scheduling and service convention. The flying is often done on narrow-bodies configured for longer sectors, or on wide-bodies used on regional routes.
What it means for you
Medium-haul days are usually two sectors with a single, fuller service each way, so the pace is calmer than short-haul but the duty can still run twelve hours or more without a layover. On Gulf and Turkish rosters these sectors fill the gaps between long-haul trips; at leisure carriers they are the bread and butter.
In practice
A SunExpress summer day is a medium-haul out-and-back — Antalya to Düsseldorf and return — around four hours each way, run near the monthly flying-hour ceiling from June to September.
Related terms
4 terms- Short-haulFlight operationsFlights of up to around three hours on narrow-body aircraft, flown as multi-sector days that usually end at home.
- Long-haulFlight operationsFlights of roughly six hours or more on wide-body aircraft, normally one sector a day followed by a layover.
- SectorFlight operationsOne flight from take-off to landing. A day's duty is counted in sectors, and low-cost pay is often earned per sector.
- Flight duty periodRoster & schedulingThe regulated window from report for a flying duty to engines off after the last sector; the core limit protecting crew from fatigue.