Qantas eyes non-stop to New York by 2022
Travellers could fly directly to London and New York from Australia’s east-coast within five years, Qantas says.
Travellers could be flying directly from Australia’s east-coast capitals to London and New York within five years, under plans Qantas announced today.
Qantas is throwing down the gauntlet to the giant aeroplane makers, Europe’s Airbus and the US’s Boeing, to stretch the maximum flight distance of planes being developed to get close to making the super-long-haul distances.
The plan was unveiled when the flying kangaroo reported its profits today.
The 97-year-old airline wants the flights to be within reach of travellers from Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane by 2022.
Qantas is poised to start direct flights from Perth to London from next March, using the 787-9 Dreamliner, which will take about 17 hours.
Some experts say not everyone wants to spend so long in the air without a stop, but Qantas research suggests travellers consider airports among the most stressful parts of their trips.
A direct flight from Sydney to London would take about 20 hours and 20 minutes, while a direct trip from Sydney to New York would take 18 hours and seven minutes.
Airbus and Boeing are working on next-generation aircraft that use advanced materials and design to deliver ultra-long-range distances.
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