Qantas' longest repatriation flight touches down in Darwin

Qantas has officially completed its longest-ever repatriation flight connecting Buenos Aires to Darwin, which touched down last night after 17 hours and 25 minutes in the air. The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, VH-ZNH, took off from the Argentinian capital at 12:44pm local time on Tuesday as QF14, and travelled entirely in daylight for the entire near-18-hour trip. The flight crossed in Australian airspace at 5:28pm AEDT on Wednesday, and landed in Darwin at 6:39pm local time, after skirting the edge of Antarctica on its way from Argentina. The Qantas 787-9 Dreamliner travelled a total distance of 15,020km, making the trip 522km further than the airline’s longest regularly scheduled passenger service from London to Perth, and one of Qantas’ longest ever flights. The arrival of QF14 also marks the first time that Darwin has welcomed non-stop flights from every inhabited continent. There are few global hubs that are well-placed to accept non-stop flights from every continent, with others including Doha, Dubai and London.<br/>