Previous Story
Qantas plans 19-hour direct Australia flight
Posted On Oct 13 2015
Comment: Off
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 arrival of the first Dreamliner in Muscat marks the next stage of the airline’s ambitious expansion plans, which will see its fleet grow from around 40 aircraft to 70 by 2020.
“We’re proud to have Oman Air join our growing base of 787 customers in the Middle East and around the world”, said Ray Conner, president & CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
The nonstop service will be the first trans-Pacific flights to Xi´an operated by any airline, and United will be the first U.S. airline to serve the city.
However the route would come with challenges as it would most likely mean flying over the Crimea which is now off-limits to airlines following the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17.
The return journey from London to Perth has raised a few concerns in case an alternate airport need to be used in the case of an emergency.
The flights will depart San Francisco global Airport at 1:35 p.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays and arrive in Xi’an at 5:30 p.m. the following days (all times local).
Qantas has eight 787-9 aircraft on order to replace the its ageing 747 jumbo jets.
Qantas already flies the longest route (by distance) in the world, Sydney to Dallas-Fort Worth, a 13,800-kilometre haul that takes about 14 hours. Its partner Emirates is also planning a long haul Dubai-Panama City service from February 2016 to cover 8,590 miles in 17 hours to take that coveted title. The aircraft will be deployed on routes to Europe.
Singapore’s longest haul was a business class-only flight and high-end travellers would be crucial to the success of the planned Qantas route.
The ultra-rich might have a quicker alternative: Richard Branson recently told traveller.com.au he expects his space flight company Virgin Galactic to be making the journey from Australia to London in less than two hours within a generation.
