Australian national carrier Qantas has made no secret of its ambition to operate the world’s longest non-stop passenger flights, talking up the concept since 2017, and pitting the two major aircraft manufacturers Airbus and Boeing against one another to provide a solution to what the airline has dubbed “the final frontier” in aviation.
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COVID-19 delayed the launch (flights should have commenced this year), but finally in May 2022 the airline agreed an order with Airbus for a fleet of 12 A350-1000s to launch these mammoth 20-hour direct links, like Sydney to London, from late 2025.
Today the airline has