First EVER non-stop flight from the UK to Australia
Chris Hogan, 1st February 2018, Household
The shortest and fastest scheduled flight to Australia from the UK is to start next month with the opening, finally, of a non-stop, 17 hour flight from London to Perth, using the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.
Australian airline Qantas is clearly very proud of this achievement, having operated for 70 years with stopovers in various Asian cities such as Singapore, Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur. Qantas, founded in 1920, started flights to and from the UK in 1947, when they took four days, with nine stops.
Qantas calls routes between the UK and Australia the "Kangaroo Route" and has flown a non-stop flight on the route once before, in 1989. But the flight was a one-off, using a Boeing 747 jumbo jet, purely to establish a world distance record for a commercial aircraft.
The flight will be the longest operated by Qantas, the longest scheduled service using Dreamliners and the third longest scheduled flight in the world.
Boost for Perth and Western Australia
It's no surprise that the first non-stop flights will touch down in Perth, Western Australia. Perth is over four hours closer to London than Sydney, making it much more achievable than London to Sydney.
But Qantas and the West Australian Government clearly believe that the move will also create more interest in Perth, Australia's fourth biggest city, as a destination in its own right.
Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce said: "We expect many travellers from Europe will start their time in Australia with a visit to Perth before going on to see other parts of the country."
"Our modelling shows that people from the East Coast as well as South Australia would fly domestically to Perth to connect to our non-stop London service," he added. "Some will take the opportunity to break their journey, whether it's for business meetings in Perth, to holiday or to visit family."
Dreamliner makes it possible
The 787-9 variant of the Dreamliner aircraft has made this service possible. The Dreamliner has a high percentage of composite materials in the airframe, making it lighter than similar-sized aircraft, and incorporates new technology throughout to make it quieter and more economical.
It's been extended by 20 feet over the original 787 and can take 236 passengers in Economy, Premium Economy and Business class cabins. Qantas hope that being able to carry that many passengers in a more economical aircraft will make the new service economically viable.
With such a long flight time comfort is important and Qantas has installed many features in Economy that other airlines reserve for Premium Economy.
Tickets on sale now
Qantas has been selling tickets for the new service since April 2017 and the first planes will take off on 25th March 2018. So if you fancy a less frantic flight to Australia than usual, book now.
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