Qantas to launch first non-stop flight from UK to Australia

People will be able to fly from the UK to Australia non-stop for the first time when Qantas launches a direct service in 2018.

The airline will operate non-stop flights from London to Perth - a 14,498-kilometre journey lasting around 17 hours - using the 787-9 Dreamliner.

It will be the first regular passenger service to directly link Europe to Australia and is expected to be the third-longest passenger flight in the world.

Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce said the history-making flight would be a watershed for travel, tourism and trade.

"When Qantas created the kangaroo route between London and Australia in 1947, it took four days and nine stops. Now it will take just 17 hours from Perth non-stop.

"This is a game-changing route flown by a game-changing aircraft. Travellers from Europe have never had a direct link down under before, so the opportunities this opens for them to explore Australia are huge," he said.

Mr Joyce said the direct route is expected to appeal to European travellers who want a non-stop link to Australia and will see Australian travellers from across the country hub through Perth to London, boosting tourism in both directions.

"A direct flight makes travelling from the UK to Australia a much more attractive proposition to millions of people.

"We expect many travellers from Europe will start their time in Australia with a visit to Perth before going on to see other parts of the country," he said.

Seats on the London to Perth flights will go on sale in April 2017 for the first services in March 2018.