Qantas launches first direct Australia-Europe flight

World
Europe

Australia's Qantas launched the first ever direct passenger flight from Australia to Europe on Saturday, departing from the western city of Perth and arriving a little over 17 hours later in London.

Cutting the route by about three hours by skipping stopovers in Singapore or the Middle East, the flight, operated by a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, marked a "historic day for aviation", said airline chief executive Alan Joyce.

Covering a distance of 14,484 kilometers, it fell just short of the world’s longest flight operated by Qatar Airways between Doha and Auckland, stretching to 14,529 kilometers.

Here are some of the world’s longest flights, both in travel time and distance.

• Auckland-Doha: 17 hr 40 min, 14,529 km. Operated by Qatar Airways. Currently the longest commercial journey in the world.

• NEW. Perth-London - 17 hr 20 min, 14,484 km. Operated by Qantas. First regular direct link between Australia and Europe.

• Auckland-Dubai: 17 hr 20 min, 14,200 km. Operated by Emirates Airline.

• Los Angeles-Singapore: 17 hr 20 min, 14,100 km. Operated by United Airlines. Longest non-stop flight in terms of distance from the United States to anywhere in the world.

• Houston-Sydney: 17 hr 30 min, 13,800 km. Operated by United Airlines.

• SUSPENDED. Singapore-New York: 19 hr, over 15,000 km. Operated by Singapore Airlines from 2004 to 2013. The service was suspended to cut costs but the airline plans to restart flights on the route.

7997km

Source(s): AFP ,Reuters