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Qantas Completes First-Ever Non-Stop Commercial Flight From New York to Sydney

Australian airline Qantas completed the world’s first-ever non-stop commercial flight from New York City to Sydney on October 20, after a flight time of more than 19 hours.

The airline transported 50 people more than 16,200 kilometers (10,066 miles), departing New York’s John F Kennedy Airport at 9 pm on October 18 and landing in Sydney at 7.42 am on October 20.

In a statement ahead of the flight, Qantas said: “The purpose of the record-breaking flight is to conduct scientific research on passengers and crew on an ultra-long haul flight, with the aim of increasing health and wellness, minimizing jetlag and identifying optimum crew rest and work periods.”

The airline said that it would examine results from research flights and other “streams of work” to inform a decision on whether to run regular flights starting from 2022 or 2023.

The airline also said the plane took off with maximum fuel but “a restricted passenger and baggage load (and no cargo) to allow the aircraft to operate the flight non-stop.” All carbon emissions from the flight and two other scheduled research flights would be offset, Qantas said. Credit: chadirl via Storyful