First direct Qantas flight to London hits the skies for the first time in nearly 600 days

Nearly 600 days after Australia closed its international borders, Qantas’ first marathon journey back to the UK was given an emotional send off.

The first direct Qantas flight from Australia to London has taken to the skies after international border restrictions were eased.

Commercial international flights were back in the air on Monday nearly 600 days after the pandemic clipped the wings of global jetsetters.

Flight QF1 from Sydney to London via Darwin was the first Qantas international flight to depart Sydney at 6.30pm on Monday and after a brief stop in Darwin in the early hours of the morning, it set off for the non-stop journey to London.

About 170 people are on the passenger jet that is due to arrive at Heathrow in London at 5.50pm AEST on Tuesday.

It will be the first direct commercial flight from Australia to the UK since the pandemic hit in March 2020.

The route through Darwin was also used for two of their last commercial flights before the pandemic after lockdowns cut off both Singapore and Perth for stopovers.

The first flight with no border or quarantine restrictions for incoming passengers who are fully vaccinated was QF12 from Los Angeles touched down in Sydney at 6am on Monday,

Qantas’ international flight crew were clearly stoked to be back in the skies after a time of unprecedented turbulence for global travel.

“It was amazing to welcome back our passengers, and the whole team was really emotional and excited to be able to take care of them on their journey home,” said customer services supervisor Adrienne Innes, who was on the plane that arrived from the US.

The Qantas QF1 flight from Sydney to London pushes back on Monday. Picture: Instagram/Qantas

The Qantas crew on their way to board QF1 to London on Monday. Picture: Instagram/Qantas

While the national carrier has flown hundreds of federal government repatriation flights during the Covid-19 pandemic and operated under a temporary border bubble arrangement with New Zealand earlier this year, these are the first regular Qantas international passenger flights after the Australian and NSW governments relaxed restrictions on overseas travel.

“This day has been a long time coming for our people and our customers. It’s wonderful to see Australians able to reunite with loved ones after such a long time apart,” Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce said.

The Qantas QF1 flight from Sydney to London stops in Darwin before going direct to Heathrow. Picture: 9 News

All passengers on Qantas international flights are required to be fully vaccinated unless they are under 12 years old or aged between 12 to 17 years old and travelling to Australia with their family or guardian or have an exemption.

Initial flights are limited to Australian citizens, permanent residents and their immediate families and parents in line with federal government requirements.

Airlines have been among the companies hardest hit by the pandemic, as border closures and travel bans melted revenue, forcing mass stand-downs and huge financial losses.

Qantas has been no exception – having missed out on an estimated $20bn in revenue over the past 18 months – although the prospect of returning travel has recently lifted the national carrier’s share price.

Qantas was last trading at $5.51 on the ASX, having dropped to nearly $3 at the nadir of the Covid outbreak in March 2020.