Qantas became the first airline to offer nonstop commercial service between Europe and Australia in 2018.
Qantas launched the first scheduled nonstop passenger service between Europe and Australia on March 24, 2018. Flight QF9 connected Perth with London using a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. The service covered roughly 14,500 kilometres and took about 17 hours, depending on conditions.
The route was possible because the 787-9 combined long range with improved fuel efficiency. It avoided the traditional stopovers in Asia or the Middle East, reducing total journey time for passengers traveling between Western Australia and the United Kingdom.
The flight is often called the first nonstop Europe–Australia service, but it was not the first nonstop flight between any Australian city and Europe in aviation history. Qantas's achievement refers specifically to a regular commercial passenger route operated without an intermediate stop.