Qantas Looks Towards World’s Longest Flight
Joe Cortez August 25, 2017
Australian carrier wants to unseat Emirates with polar route between Sydney and London.
Another contender for the world’s longest flight could come as soon as Friday, August 25, 2017, if all the pieces come together. Reuters reports Qantas is preparing to announce direct service between Sydney and London departing as soon as 2022.
The 20-hour flight would connect the two cities via the northern polar route, covering more distance than the traditional westbound route. The proposed service would depend on tailwinds to ensure that the flight arrives without issues, while return flights would take the traditional “Kangaroo Route.”
In order for the idea to become reality, an aircraft must be identified to operate the route. The Boeing 777-200LR has an advertised range of 8,555 nautical miles, while the Airbus A340-600 is advertised at a maximum range of 7,800 nautical miles. While Qantas’ executives are eyeing the Airbus A350-900ULR and the Boeing 777-8 for the route, the airline has not ordered either aircraft.
If the route were to come into play, analysts say it would give Qantas an advantage over other carriers serving Australia. The direct flight would remove a stopover in Dubai, Hong Kong or Singapore, allowing the flag carrier to potentially charge a 20 percent premium on tickets for the super long-haul route.
Should the proposed city pair come into existence, it would take the title of the world’s longest flight away from Emirates and other carriers. Emirates currently operates a 8,950-nautical mile non-stop flight between Dubai and Panama, while United Airlines operates a 8,446-nautical mile flight between San Francisco and Singapore.
[Photo: Shutterestock]
it doesn't say...anyway, the A340-500 has a longer range and can be picked up on the cheap if Qantas wants to start this route fast
where in the article does it state how many miles (nautical or otherwise) the SYD-LHR route would take?
I have seen a report that QF have been studying many years of historical weather data to determine the appropriate route - but I can't help thinking the chances of diverting/stop-overs is going to be quite high unless they find a configuration that allows a hefty (and expensive) fuel margin
What would the routing be? Today to get a decent tail wind over the Pacific and on from there you'd need to pass west of Midway then cross about the bottom of Alaska and then east across Canada and the Hudson Bay before swinging south on the east side of Greenland. But that would be nearly 11,000nm. Will this work every day or should this just be a routing possibility in the planning software? I presume they have systems to plan based on current wind conditions?
... not just economy ... economy on a 3-3-3 seating tiny 787 ...