Qantas has successfully landed a 19.5-hour non-stop flight from London to Sydney, marking a key step towards launching the world's longest commercial route. The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner touched down at Sydney Airport on Friday lunchtime, 45 minutes behind schedule, after departing Heathrow on Thursday morning.
The flight served as an endurance test to assess how passengers and crew cope with nearly 20 hours of flying and jetlag. Onboard, a physiologist led passengers in stretching exercises, squats, and walks around the cabin to reduce the risk of deep-vein thrombosis and improve alertness.
Meal timings and lighting were designed to trick body clocks into adjusting to Sydney time. Passengers were served supper shortly after take-off, then a spicy breakfast as the plane flew over Indonesia, witnessing two sunrises during the 11,060-mile journey.
Passenger Andy Chevis said: 'I actually feel fantastic, I feel really well. Probably a lot better than I normally would at this point in the flight, to be honest.' Qantas is now considering ordering aircraft for the route, which would cut around three hours off current journey times with a stopover.
