Qantas eyes non-stop Perth-to-UK flight

THE longest non-stop commercial airline passenger route in the world between Perth in Western Australia and London in the UK is reportedly expected to be cleared for take off next week.

Flights could start by Christmas 2017 once Qantas takes delivery of its first long-range Boeing 787 Dreamliners.

The 14,466-kilometre flight from Perth to London would take 17 and a half hours, making it the longest non-stop passenger route in the world.

The West Australian newspaper reported Qantas chief Alan Joyce was close to making a deal with Perth airport officials to allow passengers to board the 787 for London from the airport’s domestic terminal, making the transfer easier for passengers arriving from Sydney and Melbourne.

The longest non-stop passenger route so far is an Emirates Airlines 14,200-kilometre Dubai-to-Auckland flight started in March 2016 taking 16 hours 35 minutes in an Airbus A380.

That beat the previous non-stop record held by the Qantas Dallas-Sydney route that takes 17 hours to fly 13,800 kilometres.