Qantas announces ambitious plans to fly non-stop from Sydney to New York

QANTAS has announced a bold plan that will revolutionise air travel for Australians.

Australia’s flagship carrier Qantas has revealed it is investigating direct flights from the east coast of Australia to New York and London by 2022.

Chief executive Alan Joyce made the announcement as the airline released its full year financial results for 2017.

The airline reported its net profit fell as the benefits of lower fuel prices were offset by the reduction in net passenger revenue and after a one-off gain in the prior year.

The Qantas Group said net profit in the year to June 30 was A$853 million, or A46c, down from A$1.03b, or 49.4c, in the prior year, which included the gain on sale of the Sydney Domestic Terminal.

It is estimated flying non-stop to New York will take about 18 hours and flying non-stop to London will take about 20 hours. Photo: AAP Image/Joel Carrett

Underlying profit before tax was A$1.4b versus A$1.5b in the prior year. Qantas said the result was slightly ahead of guidance due to strong domestic performance.

Within Jetstar International — which includes New Zealand domestic and regional as well as Australia outbound flights among others — it pointed to a successful dual brand strategy in New Zealand with a strong network serving business and leisure customers.

It did not provide any specific New Zealand numbers but did point to “improved New Zealand performance”.

“Three years ago, we started an ambitious turnaround program to make the Qantas Group strong and profitable. We tackled some difficult structural issues, became a lot more efficient and kept improving customer service. Today’s announcements show this plan has well-and-truly paid off,” Mr Joyce said.