From March 2018, passengers will be able to fly direct from the UK to Australia for the first time.
Qantas announced today that it is launching a non-stop route between London and the city of Perth on Australia's western coast. The 9,000 mile (14,500 km) flight will take around 17 hours, depending on weather conditions, according to the BBC.
The airline's CEO Alan Joyce called the new route "game-changing," saying: "Australians have never had a direct link to Europe before, so the opportunities this opens up are huge."
The first seats for the new route, which will be served by 236-capacity Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, will go on sale this April. When it launches, the new route is expected to be the third-longest passenger flight in the world, the airline said on its website.
“When Qantas created the Kangaroo Route to London in 1947, it took four days and nine stops. Now it will take just 17 hours from Perth non-stop," Alan Joyce added.
Meanwhile, Qantas's partner airline British Airways is planning to make air travel a more comfortable experience by offering passengers a "digital pill" that will tailor certain flight conditions to their individual needs. BA has also made changes to its long-haul snack offering.
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