Qantas to fly non-stop from Australia's Perth to London

Australia's national carrier Qantas Airways Ltd will launch the first regular passenger flight directly linking Australia and Europe when it begins flights from Perth to London with Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners, the airline said on Sunday.

"When Qantas created the Kangaroo Route to London in 1947, it took four days and nine stops," Qantas chief executive officer Alan Joyce told a news conference in Perth.

"Now it will take just 17 hours from Perth non-stop."

Flights on the 14,498 km (9,000 mile) route will begin in March 2018.

Federal Tourism Minister Steven Ciobo said Qantas would use Perth as a hub for passengers from eastern Australia going to Britain, and the service would boost employment and tourism.

Britain is Australia's third-largest source of international visitors with more than 660,000 people coming from there to Australia last year, and spending $3.7 billion (2.9 billion pounds), Ciobo said in a statement.

The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners used on the route will carry 236 passengers, Qantas said.

(Peter Gosnell Reuters)