Qantas Perth – London flights first year proves successful

VH-ZND Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner (MSN 63390) of Qantas at Perth Airport – 24 March 2018. The aircraft wears a new Aboriginal livery called “Yam Dreaming” and named Emily Kame Kngwarreye departing off runway 21 at 6:56 pm, for the inaugural QF9 service direct to London. Photo © Keith Anderson (Photographed using Canon cameras and lenses)

24 March 2019 © David Eyre

Qantas today celebrated the first anniversary since the commencement of direct Perth – London Heathrow services and CEO Alan Joyce says the service has proven the concept of a Western hub for nonstop flights between Australia and Europe.

Qantas data showed that from 1 April 2018 to 31 January 2019, the QF9/10 service carried 134,735 passengers, roughly equally split between the outbound QF9 and the inbound QF10. The flights achieved average load factors of 93 per cent and 95 per cent, respectively.

Perth – London Heathrow is the world’s third-longest nonstop flight by distance. It was one year ago today that Boeing 787-9 VH-ZND departed Perth on the inaugural QF9 service, which landed at London Heathrow around 17 hours later.