First non-stop flight from Australia to UK arrives in London on 'historic day for aviation'

Telegraph Reporters
Updated

The maiden flight of a new non-stop regular service between Australia and the UK has arrived at London Heathrow.

Qantas 9 (QF9) touched down at Terminal Three at 5.02am on Sunday, just over 17 hours after setting off from Perth at 7pm local time (11am GMT) on Saturday.

The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner completed the 9,226-mile journey to arrive slightly earlier than the scheduled arrival time 5.10am.

The UK's longest non-stop regular passenger flight will set off back for Perth at 1.15pm on Sunday.

The route is 24 per cent further than the UK's existing longest service, operated by Garuda Indonesia between Heathrow and Jakarta (7,275 miles).

The new link with Perth is around three hours quicker than routes that involve stopping in the Middle East to change planes or refuel. It also enables faster journeys to Sydney and Melbourne than flying via Dubai.

Western Australia's premier, Mark McGowan, was among more than 200 passengers to arrive on the flight.

He tweeted a picture of the Australian delegation of politicians and officials, the flight's pilots and a didgeridoo player in Aboriginal dress and body paint at the terminal.

The flight marked a "historic day for aviation", said airline Chief Executive Alan Joyce.

"From today it will be the first link between Australia and Europe that has ever occurred non-stop in aviation," he told reporters at a launch event. "We are so excited."

About 730,000 British tourists visit Australia every year and the new service could boost interest in the state of Western Australia, often overlooked in favour of the country's east coast, said Tourism Minister Steven Ciobo.

"There will be more opportunity than ever before for us to continue to showcase and highlight all the very best parts of Australia, including some of the most magnificent and iconic parts of Western Australia," he said.

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The service was a "game-changer", said Mena Rawlings, Britain's high commissioner to Australia.

"To have the opportunity to get on a plane at Heathrow and step out in Perth is just phenomenally exciting and I'm sure we are going to see lots and lots of people taking advantage of that."

Qantas plans to introduce non-stop flights from Australia's east coast to Britain in the next few years.