The first non-stop scheduled flight from Australia to the UK has landed in London — early — after a 17 hour, five minute journey across 14,875km from Perth.
Qantas flight QF9, a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner with more than 230 passengers and crew on board, touched down at 5:03am at Heathrow on a chilly morning yesterday to a welcome from ground staff.
The landing marked the first direct commercial passenger jet journey between Australia and Europe and has been described as a “game-changer” by some in the aviation industry.
The Dreamliner, which Qantas says has 20 percent better fuel efficiency than similar-sized aircraft, covered the distance with no major dramas.
Passengers did have to endure a period of some turbulence as the plane skirted Cyclone Marcus, a storm off the west coast of Australia, shortly after takeoff.
QF9 departed Perth at about 6:57pm with Quantas chief executive officer Alan Joyce, the Australian trade and tourism minister Steve Ciobo and a group of journalists on board. On arrival at Heathrow, the plane was greeted by parade of vehicles with lights flashing on the tarmac.
“I would like to welcome you to the history book of aviation. The world has been watching us today. Thank you for being part of something so magical and so special,” Captain Lisa Norman, who was one of four working pilots on board, said after touchdown.
Joyce gave a short speech over the plane’s intercom shortly before landing.
“Today we are on this amazing historic flight, which is the fastest flight between Australia and the UK that has ever occurred. So congratulations on this amazing occasion,” he said.
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