First ever Qantas direct flight from Perth to successfully lands

History has been made as the first Qantas flight from Perth to London landed following its departure on Saturday night. 

The flight was scheduled to take 17 hours and 20 minutes, landed at Heathrow Airport on Sunday at 5.10am on Sunday morning.

The flight did experience a bit of turbulence from Cyclone Marcus which has been creating strong winds in Perth.

 

Qantas staff wave Australian and British flags at the Boeing 787 Dreamliner after landing at Heathrow Airport after a 17 hour flight

A Qantas Boeing 787 Dreamliner landing at Heathrow Airport after a direct flight from Perth to London

A Qantas Boeing 787 Dreamliner landing at Heathrow Airport after a direct flight from Perth to London

The historic flight into London flew from Australia non-stop in 17 hours and 6 minutes 

The historic flight into London flew from Australia non-stop in 17 hours and 6 minutes 

Alan Joyce (right) celebrates as he arrives into Terminal 3 at Heathrow Airport in London, United Kingdom

Alan Joyce (right) celebrates as he arrives into Terminal 3 at Heathrow Airport in London, United Kingdom

Officers and Captains (pictured) of the first ever direct flight from Perth to London sit in arrivals at Heathrow Terminal

Officers and Captains (pictured) of the first ever direct flight from Perth to London sit in arrivals at Heathrow Terminal

Qantas CEO Alan Joyce (middle) celebrates with passengers and crew at Heathrow Airport the success of the first flight from Perth to London

Qantas CEO Alan Joyce (middle) celebrates with passengers and crew at Heathrow Airport the success of the first flight from Perth to London

The inaugural trip took off to a round of applause and landed with another round of applause as people made history on this first ever event. 

Qantas CEO Alan Joyce was aboard the flight and addressed the media describing the flight as a major milestone for Australia as well as global aviation. 

Mr Joyce said the flight is off to a great start and the successful journey has kicked off a new era in traveling with the flight path eliminating stopovers.

To ensure there are more long direct flights from Australia, Mr Joyce said Qantas needs to show that it will work out economically. 

‘The original Kangaroo Route from Australia to London was named for the seven stops it made over four days back in 1947. Now we can do it in a single leap,’ Mr Joyce said. 

‘This is a truly historic flight that opens up a new era of travel. For the first time, Australia and Europe have a direct air link.’ 

The trip marks the beginning of the fastest way to travel from Australia to Europe

The trip marks the beginning of the fastest way to travel from Australia to Europe

Not everything was smooth sailing as the flight experienced some turbulence from Cyclone Marcus

Not everything was smooth sailing as the flight experienced some turbulence from Cyclone Marcus

The inaugural trip took off to a round of applause and landed with another round of applause as people made history on this first ever event

The inaugural trip took off to a round of applause and landed with another round of applause as people made history on this first ever event

Qantas Chief Alan Joyce (pictured) arrives at the check-in counter at Perth Airport for the first direct flight to Heathrow airport from Perth at Perth Airport

Qantas Chief Alan Joyce (pictured) arrives at the check-in counter at Perth Airport for the first direct flight to Heathrow airport from Perth at Perth Airport

Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce (pictured) described it as a major milestone for Australia

Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce (pictured) described it as a major milestone for Australia

 Mr Joyce said the flight has received a lot of attention since it was first announced. 

‘The response to the flight has been amazing, both for the attention it’s received since we announced it and the bookings we’ve seen coming in. It’s great for Australian tourism, for business travellers and for people visiting friends and family on both sides of the world.’ 

QF9 is operated by four pilots across the journey, with one or two pilots resting at any one time.

On board Saturday night was one female pilot, Captain Lisa Norman. About 6 per cent of Qantas pilots are female and globally it is three per cent, a Qantas representative told Daily Mail Australia. 

Mr Joyce said a huge amount of work had gone into optimising the experience for customers taking the trip.

‘This is hands-down the most comfortable aircraft that Qantas has ever put in the sky.

A new era in travelling was kicked off with the flight path eliminating stopovers (pictured: 2018 flight path compared to flight path in 1947)

A new era in travelling was kicked off with the flight path eliminating stopovers (pictured: 2018 flight path compared to flight path in 1947)

With more than 200 passengers and 16 crew members on board, QF9 will land in London (pictured) on Sunday at 5am, following the 17-hour, 14,498km haul 

With more than 200 passengers and 16 crew members on board, QF9 will land in London (pictured) on Sunday at 5am, following the 17-hour, 14,498km haul 

‘Boeing designed the Dreamliner with features to reduce jetlag, turbulence and noise. We’ve taken that a step further with our cabin design, giving passengers more space in every class as well as bigger entertainment screens and more personal storage.

‘We’ve worked with the University of Sydney and our consulting chef Neil Perry to create a menu that helps the body cope better with jetlag and adjusted the timing of when we serve food to encourage sleep.’ 

Qantas will use Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners for the non-stop route, with 42 business class flat-bed seats, 28 premium economy seats and 166 economy seats.

Aviation consultant John Strickland said the launch of the flights is a significant moment for the airline industry.

He told the Press Association: ‘It will be a further test of how successful airlines can be with ultra long haul flying and whether this delivers sufficient profitability to justify the investment in aircraft.

‘Qantas will certainly be hoping to attract a higher proportion of premium customers due to the speed advantage combined with the 787’s better cabin atmosphere.’

A Qantas 787-9 Dreamliner is the first flight which flew directly to London from Perth

A Qantas 787-9 Dreamliner is the first flight which flew directly to London from Perth

Alan Joyce (middle) shakes hands with captains in charge of the Qantas dreamliner

Alan Joyce (middle) shakes hands with captains in charge of the Qantas dreamliner

FACTS ABOUT QF9 

1. The flight will follow different flight paths depending on the best winds, helping the aircraft fly faster and more efficiently. Qantas analysed a decade of seasonal wind patterns in preparation for the new service

2. At 14,498km, QF9 is the third longest commercial flight currently in operation. It is the world’s longest Dreamliner flight

3. QF9 will carry around 92 tonnes or 110,000 litres of fuel with the Dreamliner burning approximately 20 per cent less than traditional aircraft its size

4. With a total seat count of 236 passengers, the Qantas Dreamliner has significantly fewer seats than many other airlines who have configured the same aircraft to carry more than 300 passengers

5. There are more than 21,000 individual items loaded onto the aircraft for each flight between Perth and London including 330 peppermint tea bags and hundreds of chocolate biscuits

 



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