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A British Airways flight has likely broken the fastest-ever subsonic New York to London crossing time after reaching speeds of more than 800mph.
Passenger plane records over the Atlantic tumbled overnight on Saturday and Sunday as Storm Ciara hurtled towards Britain on the back of a 200mph jet stream.
According to Flightradar24, an online flight tracking service, a British Airways Boeing 747 departing JFK airport on Saturday reached Heathrow in 4 hours 56 minutes shortly after 11.20pm.
Head here to follow The Independent's live coverage of Storm Ciara
It was just a minute faster than a Virgin Atlantic Airbus A350 flight which landed at Heathrow moments later, and three minutes quicker than another Virgin plane which arrived at 5.12am this morning.
Flights travelling in the opposite direction were taking more than two and a half hours longer.
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Waves crash into the wall at Newhaven in East Sussex, as Storm Ciara hits the UK
PA
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Firefighters rescuing a person from a car in a flooded street in Blackpool
South Shore Fire Station/PA
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Cars make their way through floodwaters as Storm Ciara hits in Accrington
EPA
4/50 Waves crash over Newhaven Lighthouse
Dozens of domestic and international flights have been cancelled as Storm Ciara is set to batter the UK and Ireland with heavy rain and winds of more than 80 miles per hour
AFP via Getty
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High water levels in Hawes, North Yorkshire
bezberesford/PA
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A fallen tree in the Longlevens area of Gloucester
Rod Minchin/PA
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Waves crash over Newhaven Lighthouse
AFP via Getty
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Flooded streets in Appleby-in-Westmorland, Cumbria
PA
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Poor weather conditions at Bramall Lane ahead of Sheffield United's Premier League game against Bournemouth
Action Images via Reuters
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The river Tweed bursts its banks in the Scottish Border
Getty
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A trampoline on the railwayline between Sevenoat and Orpington
Network Rail Kent and Sussex/PA
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Combination photo showing a crane at a building site in Worthing, West Sussex, which is rotating on its own in the wind
PA
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Manchester City's match against West Ham has been called off due to the extreme weather
Reuters
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Flooded streets in Appleby-in-Westmorland, Cumbria
PA
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Waves hitting the Cobb in Lyme Regis
Getty
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Flooded pitch at Bramall Lane
Reuters
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Waves crash against the breakwater during Storm Ciara at Wimereux, France
Reuters
18/50
The river Tweed busts its banks in the Scottish Borders
Getty
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Sheep cut off by a flooding River Tweed in The Scottish Borders
Getty
20/50
A lifeboat passes white cliffs, as Storm Ciara hits Newhaven
AP
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Storm Ciara is also hitting areas across Europe. People walk on the Erasmusbrug in Rotterdam, The Netherlands
EPA
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A woman holds a hand rail to steady herself as she walks along the harbour wall in Polperro, south west England
AFP via Getty
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People walk along the promenade as waves in break in a stormy sea alongside the lighthouse in New Brighton, north west England
AFP via Getty
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Traffic passes through water on the A66 near Bowes in County Durham
PA
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Cladding lies on the ground after falling from the Copthorne Hotel next to the Bramall Lane
Action Images via Reuters
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Damage to one of the stands at Wisbech Town Football Club in Cambridgeshire
PA
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Waves crash into the wall at Newhaven
PA
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A fallen tree crushed a car in Wigan
vickigregson/PA
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A man walks with a child and a dog on a dike against strong wind during the storm Ciara in Harlingen, The Netherlands
ANP/AFP via Getty
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Waves crash over the harbour wall by a lighthouse as Storm Ciara hits Newhaven
AP
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Onlookers watch the storm-churned waters at Newhaven
PA
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Police attending the scene of a fallen tree blocking Furze Platt Road, Maidenhead
PA
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People get blown by the wind as waves crash over the harbour wall as Storm Ciara hits Newhaven
AP
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Body boarders ride the stormy waves at Broad Haven, Pembrokeshire as Storm Ciara approaches the Welsh coastline
Reuters
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Waves crash against wind turbines at Boulogne-sur-Mer, France
Reuters
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People walking alone Salthill promenade in County Galway as Ireland and the UK brace for Storm Ciara
PA
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Construction workers begin the process of dismantling steps at Galway's South Park after organisers of the opening ceremony to mark Galway's year as European Capital of Culture cancelled the ceremony due to bad weather with Storm Ciara due to arrive later on Saturday
PA
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People walking their dogs on Salthill promenade
PA
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Blackrock Diving Tower in Salthill County Galway being battered by waves
PA
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A body boarder rides the stormy waves at Broad Haven
Reuters
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Getty Images
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PA
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AFP via Getty Images
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PA
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PA
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PA
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Waves crash into the wall at Newhaven in East Sussex, as Storm Ciara hits the UK
PA
2/50
Firefighters rescuing a person from a car in a flooded street in Blackpool
South Shore Fire Station/PA
3/50
Cars make their way through floodwaters as Storm Ciara hits in Accrington
EPA
4/50 Waves crash over Newhaven Lighthouse
Dozens of domestic and international flights have been cancelled as Storm Ciara is set to batter the UK and Ireland with heavy rain and winds of more than 80 miles per hour
AFP via Getty
5/50
High water levels in Hawes, North Yorkshire
bezberesford/PA
6/50
A fallen tree in the Longlevens area of Gloucester
Rod Minchin/PA
7/50
Waves crash over Newhaven Lighthouse
AFP via Getty
8/50
Flooded streets in Appleby-in-Westmorland, Cumbria
PA
9/50
Poor weather conditions at Bramall Lane ahead of Sheffield United's Premier League game against Bournemouth
Action Images via Reuters
10/50
The river Tweed bursts its banks in the Scottish Border
Getty
11/50
A trampoline on the railwayline between Sevenoat and Orpington
Network Rail Kent and Sussex/PA
12/50
Combination photo showing a crane at a building site in Worthing, West Sussex, which is rotating on its own in the wind
PA
13/50
Manchester City's match against West Ham has been called off due to the extreme weather
Reuters
14/50
Flooded streets in Appleby-in-Westmorland, Cumbria
PA
15/50
Waves hitting the Cobb in Lyme Regis
Getty
16/50
Flooded pitch at Bramall Lane
Reuters
17/50
Waves crash against the breakwater during Storm Ciara at Wimereux, France
Reuters
18/50
The river Tweed busts its banks in the Scottish Borders
Getty
19/50
Sheep cut off by a flooding River Tweed in The Scottish Borders
Getty
20/50
A lifeboat passes white cliffs, as Storm Ciara hits Newhaven
AP
21/50
Storm Ciara is also hitting areas across Europe. People walk on the Erasmusbrug in Rotterdam, The Netherlands
EPA
22/50
A woman holds a hand rail to steady herself as she walks along the harbour wall in Polperro, south west England
AFP via Getty
23/50
People walk along the promenade as waves in break in a stormy sea alongside the lighthouse in New Brighton, north west England
AFP via Getty
24/50
Traffic passes through water on the A66 near Bowes in County Durham
PA
25/50
Cladding lies on the ground after falling from the Copthorne Hotel next to the Bramall Lane
Action Images via Reuters
26/50
Damage to one of the stands at Wisbech Town Football Club in Cambridgeshire
PA
27/50
Waves crash into the wall at Newhaven
PA
28/50
A fallen tree crushed a car in Wigan
vickigregson/PA
29/50
A man walks with a child and a dog on a dike against strong wind during the storm Ciara in Harlingen, The Netherlands
ANP/AFP via Getty
30/50
Waves crash over the harbour wall by a lighthouse as Storm Ciara hits Newhaven
AP
31/50
Onlookers watch the storm-churned waters at Newhaven
PA
32/50
Police attending the scene of a fallen tree blocking Furze Platt Road, Maidenhead
PA
33/50
People get blown by the wind as waves crash over the harbour wall as Storm Ciara hits Newhaven
AP
34/50
Body boarders ride the stormy waves at Broad Haven, Pembrokeshire as Storm Ciara approaches the Welsh coastline
Reuters
35/50
Waves crash against wind turbines at Boulogne-sur-Mer, France
Reuters
36/50
People walking alone Salthill promenade in County Galway as Ireland and the UK brace for Storm Ciara
PA
37/50
Construction workers begin the process of dismantling steps at Galway's South Park after organisers of the opening ceremony to mark Galway's year as European Capital of Culture cancelled the ceremony due to bad weather with Storm Ciara due to arrive later on Saturday
PA
38/50
People walking their dogs on Salthill promenade
PA
39/50
Blackrock Diving Tower in Salthill County Galway being battered by waves
PA
40/50
A body boarder rides the stormy waves at Broad Haven
Reuters
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Getty Images
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PA
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AFP via Getty Images
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BA and Virgin smashed the previous New York to London record held by Norwegian, which reached London Gatwick from JFK in 5 hours 13 minutes in January 2018.
The average travel time between New York and London is around 6 hours 13 minutes.
The BA flight reached its peak ground speed of 825mph at the eastern edge of Newfoundland at about 35,000ft, according to Flightradar24's tracking tool.
A BA spokesperson told The Independent: "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."
Despite helping flights speed across the Atlantic, Storm Ciara, the UK's worst storm in seven years, has led to drastic cuts in travel services.
Hundreds of flights, trains, and ferry services have been cancelled, with rail passengers warned not to travel on Sunday because Ciara will bring flying debris.
The “flow rate” at Heathrow airport has been reduced, with commensurate cancellations. The Independent calculates at least 25,000 passengers have been hit by cancellations to and from Heathrow.
BA’s passengers are worst affected. The airline has cancelled at least 140 flights to and from Heathrow, including nine long-haul round-trips.
It has also grounded services to Dallas-Fort Worth, Dubai, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York JFK, Philadelphia, San Diego and Vancouver. The move will affect about 5,000 passengers.
The fastest ever transatlantic flight time by a passenger plane was made by Concorde when the supersonic aircraft was in service.
The record-breaking flight from New York to London occurred on 7 February, 1996, when it crossed the ocean in 2 hours 53 minutes, according to BA.