Qantas’ new non-stop route to Europe takes off

It’s been a full two decades since le kangourou volant tail-wing livery was last sighted regularly at Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport, even with ultra-long-haul flying around the world since coming on in leaps and bounds.

Now the Flying Kangaroo is making a timely return to the French capital, with the airline’s first non-stop flight to Paris taking off from Perth on Friday evening. The launch of the new route coincides with the lead-up to the Paris Olympic Games, which begin on July 26 with a spectacular opening ceremony on and along the Seine river, culminating below the Eiffel Tower.

The new route will take an estimated 17 hours and 20 minutes, fractionally shorter than Qantas’ Perth-to-London route but long enough to make it the world’s sixth-longest commercial route. It is the airline’s third non-stop route from Australia to Europe, joining Perth-London and Perth-Rome in the airline’s network.

The Perth-to-Paris route, with connections from Sydney and Melbourne, is very slightly longer than the Australian carrier’s Auckland-to-New York non-stop route. Qantas now flies four of the top 10 longest routes in the world, based on aviation data analyst’s OAG’s list. The world’s longest route remains Singapore Airlines’ non-stop flight from Singapore to New York.

Among the first passengers on the Perth-to-Paris route will be Australian Olympic athletes. And with such ultra-long-haul services now more commonplace, a good many Australian travellers, athletes or otherwise, are becoming conditioned to longer hours in the air.

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Plus it’s claimed the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, the aircraft chosen for the route, is more forgiving of jet lag than most other passenger aircraft, thanks to air cabin pressure closer to that experienced on the ground as well as a higher humidity on board.

For business-class passengers this latest airline endurance test will be soothed by the issuing of commemorative, limited-edition, blue-and-red Qantas pyjamas. All passengers will also be offered Gallic-style dishes from a special French-themed menu created by chef Neil Perry, such as nicoise salad and a bouillabaisse of snapper and prawns in business class, and a beef bourguignon with green beans, carrots and potato mash in economy.