Travellers will be able to fly direct and non-stop from the UK to Australia, after Qantas announced the world’s longest direct commercial flight.
The route will service London to Sydney – and the total journey time will be an astounding 20 hours!
Qantas said the 20-hour journey will become possible when it takes delivery of 12 new Airbus A350-1000 planes, that are capable of flying for more than 10,000 miles without the need to refuel.
The route is announced at the same time of a New York to Sydney direct service.
The services start in late 2025 and will carry up to 238 passengers across four travel classes.
On board the new flights, there will be a “wellbeing zone” in the centre of the plane that contains a snack bar. There will be screens showing movement and encouraging stretching exercises
It’s important to move around on a long flight as being less active can cause pain, stiffness and swelling in the legs, increasing the risk of developing a blood clot known as deep vein thrombosis.
40% of the seats on these new flights will be upgraded classes with more room, and only 60% of the flight will be economy class seating.
The new UK to Australia direct route will take over the current longest route which is a New York JFK to Singapore. This is operated by Singapore Airlines, and takes 18 hours 50 minutes.
