London to Sydney flight breaks world record [View all]

[brooklynite]

Source: CNN

Until someone invents a device to teleport humans from one side of the Earth to the other, this is the next best thing.

An experimental research flight operated by Australian airline Qantas touched down in Sydney on Friday, after flying nonstop from London -- a journey that pushes the frontier of modern aircraft capabilities -- smashing two aviation records and witnessing a rare double sunrise along the way.

Flight QF7879 became the world's longest passenger flight by a commercial airline both for distance, at 17,800 kilometers (about 11,060 miles), and for duration in the air, at 19 hours and 19 minutes.

The achievement could help usher in a new generation of so-called ultra long haul flights that will directly connect far-flung Sydney with destinations across Europe and the United States.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/qantas-test-flight-london-sydney-nonstop/index.html