Direct flights between Australia and Europe could launch sooner than you think… as soon as next year.
Qantas is reportedly looking at non-stop flights between Perth and London as a ‘real option’ for its first Dreamliner, scheduled for delivery in 2017.
Although the journey would take around 18 hours to complete – one hour longer than the world’s longest flight between Auckland and Dubai – it would save travellers AT LEAST five hours in stopover and transfer time.
The carrier currently has eight 787-9s on order, which will eventually replace the airline’s Boeing 747s by the end of 2019.
The planes are able to fly the longer distance because of their fuel efficiency and lighter materials, the Daily Mail reported.
Aircraft selected to fly on extra long-haul services such as Perth to London will be fitted with the right technical specifications and could set Qantas back around $345 million each.
But once it’s up and running the aircraft could handle the non-stop long-haul services such as Sydney to Chicago or Melbourne and Dallas.
The service would be a welcome relief to fans of the Concorde, which was capable of travelling between London to Sydney in 17 hours. The aircraft was retired in 2003 after its only fatal crash in 2000, which killed all 100 passengers and nine crew members.
Late last year, Qantas’ boss, Alan Joyce, revealed interest in also launching direct Australia to New York services to offer Aussies another gateway into the US.