Qantas Launches Direct Australia-London Flights

Qantas launched the first non-stop Australia to London service at the weekend, cutting three hours off previous ‘Kangaroo Route’ journey times.

Flight QF9, a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner with over 200 passengers and 16 crew onboard, took off from Perth in Western Australia just before 19:00 (7pm) on Saturday evening and landed 17 hours and 3 minutes later in London at 05:03 local time Sunday morning.

Qantas Group chief executive Alan Joyce, who was on the flight, called it “truly historic”, opening up a new era of travel. “For the first time, Australia and Europe have a direct air link,” he said.

Joyce said the original 1947 Kangaroo Route from Australia to London made seven stops over four days, a journey that can now be done in “a single leap.”

At 14,498 km, QF9 is the third longest commercial flight currently operating, and the world’s longest 787 flight. Qantas will operate the service with a reduced capacity due to the extreme long range, The Boeing 787-9 operating the flight is equipped to carry 236 passengers rather than the 290 many airlines use.

CEO Joyce said a huge amount of work had gone into improving the experience during the 17-hour flight. “This is hands-down the most comfortable aircraft that Qantas has ever put in the sky,” he said.

“Boeing designed the Dreamliner with features to reduce jet lag, turbulence and noise. We’ve taken that a step further with our cabin design, giving passengers more space in every class.”

The QF9 originates in Melbourne and operates with four pilots.

(All images courtesy of Qantas)