Airline forced to scrap longest direct flight to the UK – with passengers now facing much longer journeys
THE longest direct flight to the UK has been scrapped, leaving passengers in need of longer routes and layovers.
The Qantas route from Perth Airport to London Heathrow Airport was first launched in 2018.
It took 17 hours to jet from one airport to the other without stopping on the way.
However, those flights from Australia are no longer available, due to the escalating situation in the Middle East.
Now, instead of flying directly, the route will be forced to make a stop in Singapore Changi Airport on its way in order to refuel.
From there it will take an alternative route to London, avoiding the airspace above the Middle East “as a precaution”.
A spokesperson for the Australian carrier told local media: “We’re making adjustments to some of our flight paths due to the situation in parts of the Middle East as a precaution.”
Although the route from Perth to London will now be disturbed, the return journey will still be able to fly direct.
Jet streams and strong winds mean it doesn’t have to divert, despite being along a readjusted route.
Qantas isn’t the only airline to have been forced to alter its routes due to conflict recently.
British Airways has recently announced that its flights to Beijing will be suspended from October until at least November next year.
The cancellation comes alongside a ban on UK flights over Russian airspace, causing the UK flag carrier to divert, extending the length of their route.
Luis Gallego, the chief executive of BA’s parent company IAG, has recently stated that the firm’s capacity in Asian markets has been “very reduced”.
Sky News reports that the airline could resume flights to Beijing eventually and will keep its current decision under review.
Flights to both Shanghai and Hong Kong aren’t affected, however.
This is also the second time that Qantas has been forced to reroute flights due to Middle East tensions.
Airlines with the best plane food
Korean Air
Korean Air won best airline cuisine in last year’s Global Traveler’s awards.
Some of their popular dishes onboard include bibimbap, a Korean rice dish, and ssambap, Korean rice lettuce rolls.
It also made the top 10 for airlines with the best plane food in CN Travelers 2023 Readers’ Choice Awards.
Japan Airlines
Coming in first place in the Reader’s Choice Awards was Japan Airlines.
The airline has partnered with six Michelin-star chefs, each of whom have three stars – so you can expect it to be good.
Passengers can choose bento boxes and miso soups onboard.
Singapore Airlines
Often voted one of the best airlines in the world, it is no surprising Singapore Airlines is said to have some of the best plane food.
Chef Dennis Littley said: “Their gourmet meals rival those of ground-based restaurants.”
Dishes include congee, a rice porridge, as well as Singaporean rice and curry options.
As recently as April this year, the airline ditched the direct flight with similar problems in the troubled region causing issues.
The airline has said it will contact anyone with flights booked on the direct services.
The spokesperson added: “We’ll contact customers directly if there’s any change to their booking.”
Other airlines including Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines have also recently announced they are avoiding the same airspace.
Meanwhile, some other long haul flight routes are being scrapped, including Virgin’s Turks & Caicos and the Bahamas.
And British Airways is to scrap its London to Belgrade flight route next month, just eight months after launching.