As part of a research project on the effects of ultra-long-haul travel on passenger and crew, Qantas has set a new milestone in commercial aviation with a successful non-stop flight between New York and Sydney. The flight lasted 19 hours and 16 minutes, covering 16,200 kilometers (10,066 miles) with 50 passengers and crew on board a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner which arrived in Sydney Sunday morning October 20, (local time).
“This is a really historic moment for Qantas, a really historic moment for Australian aviation and a really historic moment for world aviation,” Qantas Chief Executive Officer Alan Joyce, who took the flight, said after landing. “The flight was very successful from two components – the first one was research,” Qantas Captain Sean Golding said, “and also the feat of distance… …we landed here in Sydney with a comfortable 70 minutes of fuel.” In order to achieve such a feat, in addition to only carrying 50 people, the Dreamliner had no cargo, restricted baggage for passengers, and a maximum fuel load.
In a statement, Qantas confirmed that the aim of the research was to increase health and wellness, minimize jet lag and identify optimum crew rest and work periods. The team of researchers on board monitored, among other things, lighting, activity, sleep and consumption patterns of passengers, and crew melatonin levels. They also tracked the brain wave patterns of pilots, equipped for the flight with brain-monitoring devices.
