The first scheduled non stop flight between Australia and the UK landed at London’s Heathrow Airport in the early hours of 25th March 2018 signalling the first step in ultra long haul air travel.
Operated by Qantas, the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner accomplished its 14,500km (9,009-mile) trip from Perth to London in just over 17 hours, considerably reducing the time taken to make this journey (it once used to take 4 days). The historic flight carried more than 200 passengers and set off from Perth at just before 7:00pm on Saturday shaving at least 3 hours from normal flights that refuel or make a stop along the way.
Travelling over the Indian Ocean, India, the UAE and up through Bulgaria, Romania, Austria, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium before entering UK airspace the plane departed back on the return journey on Sunday afternoon.
Passengers were delighted with the flight and were enthusiastic about the lack of disruption associated with changing planes or refuelling, saying that they felt much more refreshed and not as weary as previous flights.
The increased fuel efficiency of the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner allowed for the flight to take place and will signal the start of more long haul routes opening up over the coming months and years, making travel to faraway places that much easier.
If you would like to find out more about travel ‘down under’ take a look at our Australia holiday guide or if you are interested in flight savings to Perth, have a look at our flights to Perth where economy deals start at just £495.