Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce has issued a challenge to Boeing and Airbus to develop aircraft capable of non-stop flights from Australia to distant destinations such as New York, Rio de Janeiro, and Cape Town within the next decade.
The national carrier already has an order for eight new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners, with the first due to arrive in Sydney from Seattle this Friday. These planes will initially be used for direct flights between Melbourne and Los Angeles, followed by Perth to London starting in March next year.
Mr Joyce stated at Boeing's Seattle headquarters: 'We want to fly direct into New York and Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. We'd also love to be able to fly direct to Cape Town.' He described the challenge as feasible and a game-changer for Qantas and Australians.
Boeing is working on the 777X, which can fly from Sydney to New York without stopping but without cargo or passengers. Airbus is developing its own A350, and Mr Joyce likened the competition between the two manufacturers to the space race.
Mr Joyce aims to link Australia's east coast to Europe with direct flights by 2022, calling such an airliner revolutionary. He previously described ultra long-haul flights as 'the last frontier in global aviation' and 'the antidote to the tyranny of distance'.
