Economics

Qantas Sets Aviation Milestone With Perth to London Direct

Daily non-stop service is first between Europe and Australia
Flights to Paris, Germany in pipeline if new route pays off

Qantas CEO Says Public Interest in Ultra-Long Routes Will Help Fill Jets

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By Angus Whitley, Rebecca Keenan, and Christopher Jasper

March 25, 2018 at 8:04 AM UTC

Updated on

March 26, 2018 at 11:10 AM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

Qantas Airways Ltd. started direct flights between Australia and London this weekend, passing a major milestone by reducing to 17 hours a trip that once took 12 1/2 days.

Flight QF9 landed at London Heathrow at 5:02 a.m. Sunday following a 14,498-kilometer (9,000-mile) trip from Perth. The route marks the first nonstop passenger service between the continents, putting Europe’s financial center one night’s sleep from the center of Australian mineral wealth and the operations of companies including BHP Billiton Ltd. and Rio Tinto Group.