A Airbus SAS A330-300 aircraft of Qantas Airways takes off from Sydney Airport in Sydney, Australia, on Tuesday, 20 February 2018. (Photo: Brendon Thorne/Bloomberg) Qantas said Thursday it will simulate the world’s longest direct flights with Boeing Co. Dreamliners as soon as October. The payload of 40 passengers and crew, most of them employees, will undergo a host of medical checks and assessments.
World’s Longest Flight to Be Even Less Comfortable Than Expected
The Australian airline wants to start direct flights connecting Sydney to New York and London as soon as 2022. Chief Executive Officer Alan Joyce describes the services as aviation’s final frontier.
The services, which take about 20 hours, aren’t yet a sure thing. Qantas still hasn’t decided on a Boeing or Airbus SE plane that can fly the route fully laden and without a break. And it’s not clear how passengers will tolerate living in the cabin for the best part of a day and night.
“The things we learn on these flights will be invaluable,” Joyce said on a call Thursday.
Joyce has previously said he plans to choose either Boeing’s 777-8X or Airbus’s ultra-long-range A350-900ULR and -1000ULR for the flights. Competition for the contract gives Qantas more leverage over price.
In an interview with Bloomberg Television on Thursday, Joyce said the delay to Boeing’s 777X program hasn’t excluded the U.S. manufacturer from the deal. He said Boeing had offered Qantas a “transitional” solution to accommodate for any delay. He didn’t elaborate.
“This is still a very competitive race,” he said.
To contact the reporter on this story:
Angus Whitley in Sydney at awhitley1@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story:
Young-Sam Cho at ycho2@bloomberg.net