In this study, adult individuals of the oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel), from an experimental population of 7 age groups (1, 6, 11, 16, 21, 26, and 31 days of age) was subjected to the conditions of 25 ℃, relative humidity 60%-80%, and light intensity 990 lx. The flight test was finished after 22 h from the beginning, and no food or water was provided during this procedure. The original population of this experimental group was collected in Changsha, Hunan, China, and was reared in the laboratory for about 30 generations. One set of data, including total flight distance (TFD), total flight duration, and average flight velocity (AFV), could be obtained when a fruit fly flew a distance >20 m. In total, 179 sets of data were collected from 86 females and 93 males. The results showed that females at 16 days of age reached the maximum of flight capacity after emergence, but males of 16-31 days of age generally kept the flight capacity at a high level with fluctuation at 26 days of age. TFD of 16-day-old female and male flies was (2485.6±2287.2) and (2152.3±1773.3) m, respectively. The farthest trip, 8795.80 m, was made by a male fly at 21 days of age. The farthest trip among female flies occurred at 16 days of age and TFD 8116.6 m. TFD and AFV significantly differed among fruit flies of different ages (TFD, F = 2.88, P < 0.05; AFV, F = 4.98, P < 0.01). AFV was significantly different between male and female flies (F = 4.10, P < 0.05). There was a significant difference in the impact on AFV that was caused by an interaction between sex and age (F = 2.74, P < 0.05). Although the experimental population is not identical to the wild population in terms of flight capacity, the findings of this study are expected to advance the research on diffusion patterns, integrated pest management, and especially the studies on the improvement of the release methods based on the sterile insect technique for this dangerous quarantine pest.