The Qantas Group has confirmed its jet fleet renewal program with a firm order for 24 aircraft to progressively replace its existing widebody A330s.

Qantas has kicked off 12 months of centenary celebrations as it marks a fresh milestone in aviation with a non-stop London to Sydney flight. Flown by the latest addition to the national carrier’s fleet, a brand new Boeing 787 Dreamliner landed in Sydney at 12:28pm today [Friday 15 November, 2019], 19 hours and 19 minutes after leaving Heathrow.

Qantas is set to test the viability of proposed ultra-long-haul flights (approximately 19 hours) between Sydney and London and New York on passenger and crew health and wellbeing before the year’s end.

Etihad Airways is adding its fourth year-round daily service between Abu Dhabi and London Heathrow, providing convenient connections from the Gulf carrier’s Australian gateways of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane to the UK capital.

Hawaiian Airlines marked 15 years of continuous service between Honolulu and Sydney on the night of Friday 17 May 2019, when HA451 landed at Sydney International Airport.

United Airlines has applied to the US Department of Transportation for the authority to begin a new service between New York/Newark Liberty International Airport and Cape Town International Airport. United plans to operate nonstop three-times-weekly flights to Cape Town starting in December 2019.

Virgin Atlantic has confirmed it will commence flights between London Heathrow and São Paulo, Brazil in 2020. Flying daily between London Heathrow and São Paulo Guarulhos International Airport, the 11 hr 55 min flight is Virgin Atlantic’s first foray into the South American continent.