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Would you fly 22 hours on a plane to avoid a connection?

WBUR | By Here & Now Newsroom

Published July 14, 2026 at 9:03 AM PDT

A Qantas A380 takes off from Sydney Airport over Botany Bay in Sydney, Australia, Monday, Sept. 5, 2022. (Mark Baker/AP)

Qantas announced a new ultra long-haul route taking off in 2027, flying non-stop between London and Sydney in a journey that will take approximately 22 hours. It’ll by the longest commercial flight in the world.

Here & Now’s Peter O’Dowd speaks with Seth Miller, managing editor of the aviation industry news site PaxEx.Aero, about the logistics and concept behind this journey.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Would you fly 22 hours on a plane to avoid a connection?

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