Qantas repatriation flights: Buenos Aires to Darwin to be airline's longest ever commercial flight

The longest ever commercial Qantas flight is scheduled to take place next month as part of the federal government's repatriation flights for stranded Australians. A Qantas Boeing 787 Dreamliner will fly from Buenos Aires, Argentina, to Darwin non-stop on October 5, exceeding the distance of Qantas' previous longest commercial flight, from Perth to London. The repatriation flight to bring stranded Australians home from South America will cover about 14,680 kilometres, slightly further than the non-stop Perth to London 14,498 kilometre route. It will take close to 18 hours. Passengers arriving from Buenos Aires on October 5 will be housed in the Howard Springs quarantine facility after arriving in Darwin. However, there are concerns as to whether Australians in other parts of South America will be able to access the flight, due to Argentina's current border restrictions, which only allow citizens and permanent residents to enter.<br/>