Is there or has there ever been a non-stop scheduled flight between England and Australia?
British Airways is leading the race to become the first airline to operate non-stop flights from London to Sydney. The 9,200 mile journey, which will take up to 20 hours, has eluded airlines in the past because there have never been any commercially viable aircraft capable of flying such a distance. Airbus is offering BA the new A350-900R model, which will be capable of flying about 9,400 miles. Passengers have a while longer to wait though before finally being able to take a non-stop flight Down Under – the A350-900R won’t take to the skies for at least another seven years. BA’s bitter rival, Virgin Atlantic, has already committed itself to Boeing’s rival to the A350, the 787 Dreamliner. This has a range of up to 8,500 nautical miles, which would enable Virgin to launch non-stop flights from London to Perth in Western Australia. Virgin’s 787 is likely to enter service in 2011. Virgin may become the first to launch non-stop Australia flights, but until Boeing offers an extended-range v
