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Crowd Cheers After Longest Commercial Flight Arrives in Sydney From London

Qantas’s landmark London to Sydney ultra-long-haul direct flight touched down in the Harbour City on November 15 and taxied into its hangar to cheers from the waiting crowd.

The 787 Dreamliner landed after a flight that took 19 hours and 19 minutes from London’s Heathrow Airport, according to the Australian airline.

At around 17,800 kilometres (11,060 miles), the route is the longest traveled by a commercial aircraft, according to reports.

Qantas has been attempting to stretch the boundaries of long-haul travel under its so-called ‘Project Sunrise’. Last month, the carrier conducted a non-stop flight between New York and Sydney in a similar time. That flight, however, covered a shorter distance.

With only 40 passengers and crew reportedly on board, the latest flight was a dry run for planned commercial routes direct from Australia to Europe and the US East Coast.

Qantas has said it hopes to have the flights available to passengers by 2023. Credit: Benn Salier via Storyful