Sydney-Londra in 20 ore- Corriere.it

You are willing to fly for almost 20 hours, paying 15-20% more than usual for the ticket but saving 4-5 hours of travel? Qantas, the main and historic Australian airline, is convinced of it. And for this he officially embarks on the longest journey in the world: Sydney-London, 17,750 kilometers away which today are covered with at least one stop. A bet worth over 1.5 billion euros which according to the airline should lead to significant profits after one or two years of activity. It starts at the end of 2025 with the specially configured Airbus A350-1000 not only to load more kerosene but also to allow passengers the physical activity required for such long journeys in a special wellness area.

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The announcement

After years of studies, including medical-scientific onesQantas CEO Alan Joyce confirmed on May 2 that the Alba Project – the name given to the initiative – will finally see the light. Just enough time to receive the first Airbus A350-1000s (he ordered a dozen), train the flight crew and put the tickets on sale (usually 6-8 months before take-off). The A350-1000 – longer and larger version of the A350-900 – will be delivered to Qantas with 238 seats, a hundred fewer than those normally installed on this model. Inside, more than 40% of the seats will be of premium class: 6 First class seats, 52 Business seats, 40 Premium economy seats and, basically, 140 Economy seats. Our project and the A350 will allow every city in the world to be just one flight away from Australia, says CEO Joyce.

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Inside the cabin

Inside the aircraft used for flights to London Qantas has decided to provide wellness areas – located between the Premium economy and Economy seats – where you can relax, do yoga, hydrate to allow the body to have better blood circulation and since the journey will require you to spend twenty hours in a unique environment. The CEO of Qantas is convinced that many people will prefer this connection to those, with a stopover, in Singapore or Hong Kong or Doha or Dubai. The demand for non-stop flights has grown since the outbreak of the pandemic also due to the new travel requirements required by individual states, emphasizes Joyce.

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Prices on board

Ma How much more will a direct flight cost than one with a stopover? Joyce did not want to disclose the rates, but according to analysts passengers should pay 15-20% more than average. This in exchange for a connection that will not require you to get off and re-embark, perhaps in the middle of the night, and save four hours. For experts, the time of arrival in London – and vice versa in Sydney – will be important in order to make the connection even more attractive. Joyce also announces that there will also be a direct Sydney-New York flight at the end of 2025 and confirms what was argued long ago: Paris, Chicago, Rio de Janeiro and possibly Frankfurt are in the sights.

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The flight in Italy

It’s Italy? For now Qantas is preparing to inaugurate the first direct route between our country and Australia: Rome Fiumicino-Perth, 13,400 kilometers away. The take-off from Perth is scheduled for June 22 with the Boeing 787-9, the same model that the Australian airline has been using for some time between Perth and London Heathrow. Self Boeing had won the multi-billion dollar order for airplanes to be used for direct connections between Australia and Europethis time it was Airbus who offered – according to Qantas – the aircraft most suited to their needs and also, as stated in the financial notes, a significant discount. The Australian company also announced that it has also ordered 20 A321XLRs from Airbus for internal connections and those with Asia and 20 A220-300 for domestic flights. worth $ 4.3 billion.

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