Qantas will operate 17-hour non-stop flights from London to Perth using the 787-9 Dreamliner, marking the first time England will be directly connected to Australia with a non-stop service.
With the addition of this route, Europe is now connected to every continent in the world. Service is scheduled to begin in March 2018.
The enhanced Qantas cabin design is in addition to the comfort factors that Boeing built in to the Dreamliner – improved air quality, lower cabin noise and technology to reduce turbulence.
Seats on the London-Perth flights will go on sale in April 2017 for the first services in March 2018. The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners used on the route will carry 236 passengers across Business, Premium Economy and Economy cabins.
Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce said: passenger comfort on the 14,498km flight is a key consideration. When we designed the interior of our 787s, we wanted to make sure passengers would be comfortable on the extended missions the aircraft was capable of. That’s why we have features in our Economy seats that other airlines reserve for Premium Economy. Our Business Suite has been nicknamed ‘mini First class’ by many of our frequent flyers. And we’re redesigning our on-board service to help reduce jetlag,
The history-making flights are a watershed for travel, tourism and trade. When Qantas created the Kangaroo Route between London and Australia in 1947, it took four days and nine stops. Now it will take just 17 hours from Perth non-stop. This is a game-changing route flown by a game-changing aircraft. Travellers from Europe have never had a direct link down under before, so the opportunities this opens for them to explore Australia are huge.
A direct flight makes travelling from England to Australia a much more attractive proposition to millions of people. 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. The new flight will operate through Qantas’ existing domestic terminals (T3/4) in Perth, which will be upgraded to accommodate international flights. The airline’s current international services from Perth (to Singapore and to Auckland) will also move to this terminal, helping to simplify the journey for thousands of people every year. We’ll be looking at the timing of our domestic flights through Perth to offer the best connections we can to our international flights, particularly given they will all be under the one roof,” added Mr Joyce. “I’d like to acknowledge the support of the West Australian Government and Perth Airport in helping make this service a reality.”
FAST FACTS – PERTH TO LONDON
– The 14,498km flight will take approximately 17 hours (slightly more or less depending on winds).
– When it launches, is expected to be the third-longest passenger flight in the world.
– Longest flight on the Qantas network, followed by non-stop A380 Sydney-Dallas service (13,730km)
– Will be the longest Boeing Dreamliner flight in the world.
– The first regular passenger service from Europe to Australia adds to Qantas’ list of flying firsts, including:
o First passenger jet services across the Pacific in 1959 with a B707.
o First (and only) non-stop passenger flight from London to Sydney in 1989 with a B747-400.
o First to operate the world’s largest passenger aircraft (A380) on the world’s longest route (Sydney-Dallas) in 2014.
– Perth was also used as a stopover on flights to London between the 1940s and 1960s.
