DIRECT flights from Sydney to New York could be possible as soon as 2022, according to Qantas CEO Alan Joyce.
In an interview with
Australian Financial Review, Mr Joyce revealed the airline is considering replacing its fleet of Boeing 747s with new-generation jets such as Airbus A350s or Boeing 777s, which can fly significantly further.
“[From Sydney or Melbourne] they can go straight to New York, Boston and Washington DC, and that is a complete contextual redesign of our network right there,” he told journalist Joe Aston.
According to Boeing vice president Mark Jenks, the manufacturer’s main focus is fuel efficiency, rather than speed.
It’s a significant drawcard to a company like Qantas that spends approximately $3 billion burning jet fuel each year.
“At the moment, Sydney-New York is probably OK,” Mr Joyce said.
Longer flights will, however, take a greater toll on passenger health.
Qantas is investing a significant amount of money at the University of Sydney to study the effects of the timing of meals, as well as cabin lighting and temperature, on ultra-long-haul passengers.
“There’s no medical evidence to suggest punctuating a really long journey with a stopover is preferable to a single hop,” Mr Joyce told theFinancial Review
“But we also know we can’t just ‘stretch’ the service plan from a 12-hour flight to fit 17 hours.”
It comes just one month after the airline
struck a deal to commence non-stop flights from Perthto London in early 2018, using brand new Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
Boeing said
Qantas is installing fewer seats on its Dreamliners
than other airlines, which will significantly help with passenger comfort.
The aircraft destined to cover the new route will have 236 seats instead of the usual 300, which will also maximise range by decreasing weight.
The agreement with Perth Airport had a few hiccups, notably concerning a disagreement about which terminal would be upgraded as a hub for the service, but it was eventually resolved in Qantas’s favour.
The route will become the longest passenger flight in the world, and Mr Joyce described it as “game-changing”.
“When Qantas created the Kangaroo Route to London in 1947, it took four days and nine stops. Now it will take just 17 hours from Perth non-stop,” he said.
The current route takes 23 hours, with a short stopover in Singapore.
“Australians have never had a direct link to Europe before, so the opportunities this opens up are huge.”
Five of the 747s currently operating will be replaced with eight new Dreamliners between October this year and May 2019.