Qantas B787 på langtur for å få folk hjem - Australian Aviation

 

QANTAS’ LONGEST REPATRIATION FLIGHT TO GO VIA THE SOUTH POLE

written by Hannah Dowling | September 23, 2021

Qantas 787 Dreamliner in-flight (Qantas)

Qantas is gearing up to perform one its longest-ever flights connecting South America and Australia – via the South Pole.

According to a report by Executive Traveller, the Flying Kangaroo will endeavour on a nearly 18-hour trip on 5 October, when it performs a repatriation flight from Buenos Aires in Argentina to Darwin.

At nearly 14,700 kilometres, it will be one of the longest flights ever performed by Qantas’ 787 Dreamliner, and notably, will be transiting over Antarctica on its way home.

It’s quite rare for airlines to perform flights over Antarctica, as it was largely banned up until 2011 due to the continent being so far from any emergency landing point. 

However, it is not unheard of for carriers to fly over the South Pole, with some of Qantas’ pre-COVID routes to South America taking this shortcut. And Qantas is no stranger to non-stop long-haul flights, particularly on its Dreamliners.

The airline’s longest commercial route (Perth – London) beats out its Buenos Aires – Darwin repatriation by just 185 kilometres.

With a total distance of 14,498 kilometres, the flight time clocks in at 17 hours and 20 minutes.