A Qantas Boeing 787 Dreamliner made its first non-stop flight between Perth and London in on Saturday, March 24. The historic journey for the Australian airline is the first to connect the two continents of Australia and Europe directly, and is one of the longest commercial flights in the world.
The inaugural flight carried more than 200 passengers and 16 crew members, and took around 17 hours and 20 minutes to complete.
“This is a truly historic flight that opens up a new era of travel. For the first time, Australia and Europe have a direct air link,” Joyce said.
“The original Kangaroo Route from Australia to London was named for the seven stops it made over four days back in 1947. Now we can do it in a single leap.
“The response to the flight has been amazing, both for the attention it’s received since we announced it and the bookings we’ve seen coming in. It’s great for Australian tourism, for business travellers and for people visiting friends and family on both sides of the world.”
Joyce said a lot of work had gone into creating an experience that would help passengers cope with a 17-hour flight.
Economy passenger Wayne Kwong documented his flight and shared his experience on social media.
Kwong complimented different aspects of the long flight, such as the food and services provided.
“All the research that went into the design of the meals has proven to work,” he wrote on Twitter.
Qantas said the aircraft was operated by four pilots across the 17-hour journey — with one or two pilots resting at any one time — and seats 236 passengers.
The Dreamliner carries around 92 tonnes or 110,000 litres of fuel and burns approximately 20 percent less than traditional aircraft of its size.
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