Travel expert says nonstop UK to Australia flights will prove ‘hugely popular’

The Qantas plan for nonstop flights between London and Sydney will prove “massively popular”, according to a Trailfinders expert.

Lauren McLeod, senior procurement manager for Australasia for the travel giant, told The Independent’s daily travel podcast: “We think it's going to be massively popular.

“A lot of people prioritise ease, especially when travelling. Sitting down on one seat and ending up in your destination is always really popular.”

Qantas expects to launch specially adapted Airbus A350s on the route between Heathrow and Australia’s main aviation hub in the first half of 2027.

The planes, under construction at the Airbus factory in Toulouse, are fitted with an additional 20,000-litre fuel tank, making them capable of flying for 22 hours without refuelling.

The London-Sydney journey, 10,573 miles point to point, is expected to take around 19 hours, with an extra hour for the inbound leg due to prevailing headwinds.

The four-class plane will be fitted with just 238 seats – fewer than half the maximum legal capacity. They will include six first-class suites with full-size beds and 140 economy seats with a 33-inch “seat pitch” – offering an inch more legroom than the Airbus A380 aircraft used by Qantas for its current Heathrow-Singapore-Sydney one-stop service.

The Australian carrier already flies nonstop between London and Perth, a direct distance of 9,009 miles. The route was launched in March 2018.

Ms McLeod said:“A huge portion of our business is that flight.” She added that by far the most popular routing for passengers taking one-stop flights is Singapore.

The Australian carrier first flew nonstop from London to Sydney in 1989, on a special delivery flight with no paying passengers on board.

Qantas also plans to fly nonstop from Sydney to New York, a distance of 9,940 miles.

Hear more: The Independent’s travel podcast on Australia