The last frontier of the aviation industry fell today when the first non-stop flight between Australia and the United Kingdom touched down at London’s Heathrow Airport reducing a trip that once took 12 1/2 days to just 17 hours.
Qantas Airways’ inaugural service between the Australian city of Perth and Heathrow completed a 14,498 km (9,009-mile) journey in just 17 hours.
The airline used the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, which is twice as fuel-efficient as the Boeing 747.
This new link is part of Qantas’ ambitious plans – unveiled over the past two years – to add ultra long-haul flights to its global schedules.
“The last frontier of global aviation… the antidote to the tyranny of distance and a revolution for air travel in Australia,” the chief executive, Quantas, Alan Joyce had said last year.
Meanwhile, travel firm Flight Centre has recorded a “high demand” for the new Qantas flights.
“Flight Centre definitely feels that in the long-term the new route is viable and we will see additional services being launched from Europe to Australia in the coming years,” head of aviation, Justin Penny said.
The new link with Perth will be around three hours quicker than routes which involve stopping in the Middle East to change planes or refuel.
It will also enable faster journeys to Sydney and Melbourne than flying via Dubai.