Qantas might soon surpass its own claim to the world’s longest direct flight with an even longer haul.
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Using the latest Boeing 787-9, airline Qantas is planning to charter the epic journey from 2017, making it the longest commercial flight in history.
Covering nearly 9,000 miles and lasting a staggering 18 hours, a non-stop flight between the United Kingdom and Australia could be with us within just two years.
“The 787- 9 has the range to operate such a route”, Joyce said. The route would also take the plane over the Crimea, airspace now off-limits to commercial planes after the shooting down of flight MH17. This is because the nearest full-service global airport is Adelaide, which is 1,300 miles away and may take 2.5 hours of flying time to reach there.
The route would not be without its challenges. The carrier has ambitions to use its Muscat worldwide Airport base-which is also being expanded-as a new Arabian Gulf hub for transit traffic.
Currently, a flight between Perth and London typically takes more than 22 hours, with a stopover in Dubai.
Replacing the 747 fleet, the 787-9s will have about 250 seats, including business class, premium economy and economy class, reports Traveller. Qantas now flies the world’s longest route, the 8,600 mile journey from Sydney to Dallas-Fort Worth.
In August, Emirates announced it would begin nonstop flights between Dubai to Panama City in February, 2016. The 777-200LR has a range of up to 17,000 kilometres, according to Boeing. The aircraft will be deployed on routes to Europe.
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Australia’s Qantas Airways is bracing for one of the longest non-stop flights. It’s enough to make you wish the airlines were competing over leg room and the tastiness of in-flight meals instead. Richard Branson recently told traveller.com.au his space flight company Virgin Galactic is expected to make the journey from Australia to London in less than two hours within the next generation.
