Qantas tests world's longest commercial flight, completes ‘double sunrise’ flight

A Qantas flight covered the world’s longest commercial route which was scheduled from London to Sydney. The flight safely landed after 19 hours and 19 minutes. This was part of a trial experiment in which Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner took a flight on November 14 morning according to London time and landed at the Sydney airport during lunchtime on November 15. 

The Project Sunrise

Alan Joyce, who led the project called ‘Project Sunrise’ said that they saw a double sunrise after they landed. The project was a tribute to airline’s endurance flights which sustained the battle times of the Second World War. The Qantas staff informed the international media, that there were 40 passengers which included the crew. The aircraft has the capacity to carry approximately 300 people at one time. At the time of landing, the plane had fuel to sustain for 1 hour and 45 minutes in the air, therefore, it was impossible to fly with a full capacity of both passengers and cargo without getting the plane refueled, for such a long distance. 

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Second aircraft to take the longest non-commercial flight

The passengers on the plane were mainly the employees of Qantas airline who were monitoring the sleep pattern, food intake, physical movement and other requirements in a flight. Boeing 747-400, was the first aircraft that took a non-stop flight back in august 1989 with its crew. It has been put on display in a museum. Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, has become the second aircraft to take the longest non-commercial flight. 

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Qantas airlines 100 years of service

This year the Qantas airline is celebrating its 100 years of service and to mark the celebration, it launched the longest non-stop commercial flight. The Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and the opposition leader Anthony Albanese along with Qantas chairman Richard Goyder were present at the Sydney airport to welcome the QF7879. The airline has to get pilots to agree on contract terms and a sign-off from Australia's aviation regulator so that it can launch the flights by 2023.

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