This archive report was first published on 20 October 2019.
On October 20, 2019, Qantas made history with the longest non-stop flight in history, landing in Sydney after a grueling 19 hours and 16 minutes in the air.
The flight, QF7879, took off from New York's JF Kennedy Airport on Friday night and carried 49 people, mostly Qantas employees, to test the feasibility of such long-haul flights.
According to Qantas CEO Alan Joyce, the flight was a 'truly historic moment' for the company and the aviation world. 'This is the first of three test flights after which we will be able to see what recommendations we can make in relation to how pilots manage their fatigue, and for passengers to manage jet lag,' he said.
The Boeing 787-9 aircraft, which weighed 233 tons on takeoff, including 101 tons of kerosene, was specially designed for this flight. Four pilots took turns flying during the journey, while researchers from two Australian universities were on board to observe how passengers slept and fed, and to monitor their level of melatonin.
Qantas plans to use the data collected from this flight to create regular commercial lines on these long journeys, including a direct flight between London and Sydney.
Currently, the longest commercial air route in the world is a connection between New York and Singapore launched in 2018 by Singapore Airlines, which lasts 18 hours and 30 minutes.
