LONDON — The maiden flight of a new non-stop regular passenger service between Australia and ******* has touched down at London’s Heathrow Airport.
The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, operated by Qantas Airways, arrived Sunday in London just over 17 hours after setting off from the western Australian city of Perth.
The Qantas Dreamliner to make the maiden journey from #Perth to #London is VH-ZND with Captain Lisa Norman, Captain Jeff Foote, First Officer Dave Summergreene and Second Officer Troy Lane. pic.twitter.com/tgM3Wl93EQ
— Qantas (@Qantas) March 24, 2018
A momentous occasion on the flight deck of #QF9#QantasDreamliner pic.twitter.com/dRTh79ZxUb
— Qantas (@Qantas) March 24, 2018
The inaugural #QF9 has arrived in London. pic.twitter.com/yqRdv1V8Bt
— Qantas (@Qantas) March 25, 2018
The new link with Perth – a 14,498-kilometre journey – is around three hours quicker than routes that involve stopovers in the *********** to change planes or refuel. It is also set to shorten journeys from London to Sydney or Melbourne, compared with flying via Dubai.
The route is about a quarter more than *******’s previous longest service – 11,707-kilometres – which was flying between London and *******, the capital of Indonesia.