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Sunday 23 Feb 2025
LOCAL EDITION
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LOCAL EDITION
FILE - In this Aug. 20, 2015 file photo, two Qantas planes taxi on the runway at Sydney Airport in Sydney, Australia. Australia's Qantas has completed the first non-stop commercial flight from New York to Sydney Sunday, Oct. 20, 2019, which was used to run a series of tests to assess the effects of ultra-long-haul flights on crew fatigue and passenger jetlag. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
PERTH, Australia (AP) — Australia’s national carrier Qantas has completed a 19-and-a-half hour non-stop flight from London to Sydney, part of a series of tests to assess the effects of very long-haul flights.
The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner took off from London’s Heathrow Airport on Thursday morning and touched down at Sydney Airport 45 minutes behind schedule at 12:30 p.m. local time on Friday.
The 17,800 kilometer (11,060 mile) journey is part of Project Sunrise — Qantas’ goal to operate regular, non-stop commercial flights from Australia’s east coast cities of Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne to London and New York.
Last month, Qantas completed the first non-stop flight from New York to Sydney, which took 19 hours and 16 minutes.
Another New York to Sydney flight is expected next month to round out the project.
