TheKangaroo Routeis a term coined byQantas,referring to the commercial passenger air routes flown betweenAustraliaand theUnited Kingdomvia theEastern Hemisphere.[1]
The route has been operated since 1934,[2]but found its name in 1944 from the unique mode of travel of thekangaroo,as the route's "hops" were reminiscent of akangaroo's,and both are used to cover long distances.[3]The term is trademarked and traditionally used byQantas,[4]although it is often used in the media and by airline competitors to describe all Australia to United Kingdom flights.
In addition to Qantas, by 2003, over 20 airlines operated routes connecting Australia and the UK, includingBritish Airways,Cathay Pacific,Emirates,Etihad,Malaysia Airlines,Qatar Airways,Singapore Airlines,Thai AirwaysandTurkish Airlines[5]with most involving a single transfer between flights at their respective hubs. OnlyBritish Airwaysand Qantas offer throughdirect flights(not requiring passengers to change plane en route), both making a fuel stop atSingapore Changi Airportas of 2024.
Qantas commenced operating non-stop flights fromPerthtoLondonwithBoeing 787son 25 March 2018. This ended the era of the continents ofEuropeandOceanianot being connected by non-stop flights, marking the first time that all of the world's continents, excludingAntarctica,are connected by non-stop flights.[6][7]
Origins of the name
edit
Qantas operated the Australian part of the Kangaroo Route for nine years before coining (and later trademarking) the name.
After starting airmail operations between Brisbane and Singapore in 1934,[9]Qantas began operating passenger flights connecting Brisbane to Singapore in 1935 following successful awarding of the Australian government's tender.[10][11]
After disruption to the route due to the emerging hostilities ofWorld War II,the connectivity was famously restored by Qantas with its "Double Sunrise"service connectivity between Perth and Ceylon on the Indian Ocean Route with Catalina flying boats in 1943.[12]With the addition of the land based Liberator aircraft to the route in 1944, the "Indian Ocean Route" was officially renamed "The Kangaroo Service"[13][9][14][15]by Qantas' Managing Director Hudson Fysh and pilot Bill Crowther; a play on words of the aviation term "hop" (referring to a leg of a route), and the hop of a kangaroo, an Australian icon.[16]
Along with the newly created Qantas logo of the flying kangaroo, the terms "Kangaroo Service" and "Kangaroo Route"[17][18][19][20]were trademarked by Qantas and became the airline's branded term to describe Qantas' Australia-United Kingdom connectivity.[21][22]
A significant milestone in 1947 when Qantas began operating the entire Kangaroo Route independently. This April 1947 inauguration is referred to as the birth date of the Kangaroo Route by Qantas, even though it had been operating a part of that route for almost a decade.[23]
History
edit
Early years (1935–1940)
edit
In 1935Qantasstarted flying passengers toSingaporein aDe Havilland 86to connect withLondon-boundImperial Airways.London toBrisbaneservice commenced on 13 April 1935. Imperial Airways and Qantas Empire Airways opened the 12,754-mile (20,526 km) London to Brisbane route for passengers for a single fare £195 (equivalent to $42,700 in 2022). There were no through bookings on the first service because of heavy sector bookings, but there were two through passengers on the next flight that left London on 20 April. The route opened for passengers from Brisbane to London on 17 April; flights were weekly and the journey time was 121⁄2days.[25][26]
Eastbound passengers from London would first fly fromCroydontoParis,take an overnight train toBrindisi,and fly onward with stops atAthens,Alexandria(overnight),Gaza,Baghdad(overnight),Basra,Kuwait,Bahrain,Sharjah(overnight),Gwadar,Karachi,Jodhpur(overnight),Delhi,Cawnpore,Allahabad,Calcutta(overnight),Akyab,Rangoon,Bangkok(overnight),Alor Star,Singapore(overnight),Batavia,Sourabaya,Rambang (overnight),Koepang,Darwin(overnight),Longreach(overnight), andCharleville.[27]London-Karachi was operated by Imperial Airways, Karachi-Singapore jointly by Imperial and Indian Trans-Continental Airways, and Singapore-Brisbane by Qantas.[28]
Wartime modified operations (1940–1946)
editImpediment and interruption due to WWII (June 1940 – Feb 1942)
editOn June 11, 1940,Italy entered WWIIand the Kangaroo Route connection across the Mediterranean Sea from Egypt was severed with the resulting loss of all access to commercial air routes.[29][30]While direct passenger air connectivity was lost, previous contingency plans were put into action, utilising the structure of the "Horseshoe Route"that connected Australia and England for passengers and airmail via Durban, South Africa where passengers would connect to steamboat service.[31][32]This service was swiftly started just 8 days later with the first flight leaving Australia on June 19, 1940[33]and continuing its operation, modifying as necessary until its final reserve route ( "Reserve Route 3" ) via Broome was lost on February 15, 1942 with the fall of Singapore.[34]
Plans for restoration of the connectivity were started in early 1943, resulting in the ideation, equipping, and successful testing of what would become the Double Sunrise service.[30]Earlier in 1939 an alternative route via the Indian Ocean was proposed and designed by the Australian Government for potential use in case of emergency.[35]The designed route was Port Hedland - Batavia - Christmas Island - Cocos Island - Diego Garcia - The Seychelles - Mombasa.[30][32]This route was surveyed and tested in June 1939 but would ultimately not be used, in part asBataviahad already fallen in March 1942 in theBattle of Java (1942).[36][30]
Innovation and resumption via "The Double Sunrise" (July 1943 – July 1945)
edit
On July 29, 1943, Qantas resumed the kangaroo route's modified operation, using a fleet of 5Consolidated PBY Catalinaaircraft to cross the Indian ocean nonstop. The planned route was for flights betweenCrawley, Western Australia,andRAF Base Koggalain southern Ceylon. Designed to exploit the Catalina's extreme flight range, the flights became the longest non-stop commercial air route, covering over 3,500 nautical miles (6,500 kilometres; 4,000 miles) across the Indian Ocean. Navigated without the aid of radio, the crews relied solely on rudimentary navigation by compass and stars during the trip. Taking between 27 and 33 hours, with departure timed so that the flight crossedJapanese occupied territoryduring darkness, the crew and passengers would observe the sunrise twice, which led to the service being known as "The Double Sunrise".[37]The Double Sunrise flights remain the longest (in terms of airtime) commercial flights in history.
Initially, passengers and mail were then transferred via ground transport from Galle to Karachi connecting with BOAC service onwards to London. In November 1943, this was replaced by adding an additional hop to the kangaroo route operated by the Qantas Catalinas up the Indian coast to Karangi Creek in Karachi.[37]
In June 1944, Qantas augmented the Kangaroo Route's Catalina service with an additional route operated by convertedConsolidated Liberatorbombers. The Liberators flew from Perth toLearmonthbefore flying a shorter 3,077 mi (4,952 km) over-water route to an airfield northeast ofColombo,but they could make the journey in 17 hours with 5,500 pounds (2,500 kg) of payload, whereas the Catalinas usually required at least 27 hours and their payload was limited to only 1,000 pounds (450 kg). This route was named 'The Kangaroo Service' and was the genesis for the Kangaroo Route's naming. It also marked the first time that Qantas's now-famous Kangaroo logo was used; passengers received a certificate proclaiming them as members ofThe Order of the Longest Hop.[39]
In June 1945,Avro Lancastrianswere introduced on the England–Australia service, and the Liberators and Catalinas were soon shifted to other Qantas routes. The Catalina operated Double Sunrise service ended on 18 July 1945.[40]
Route normalization - Western legs (May 1945)
editOn May 30, 1945 - following theend of the war in the European Theatre,Lancastrian operated flights byBOACresumed fromHurn Airportin southern England, connecting in Karachi to Qantas' operated service which flew via Karachi - Minneriya (Ceylon) - Learmonth to Sydney.[41][30]Covering the Kangaroo Route in a scheduled time of 70 hours.[42]
Route normalization - Eastern legs (April 1946)
editOn April 7, 1946 - Qantas ended its Indian Ocean Service, and reverted the Kangaroo Route back via Darwin and Singapore.[43]For the first time flying directly from Sydney to Darwin to Singapore, eliminating all previous domestic Australian stops.[44]BOAC and Qantas service combined to operate the Kangaroo Route from Sydney to London time in a new record of 63 hours.[45]
Multiple stops (1947–1974)
edit
In 1947, Qantas took over complete operation of the route from Australia to The United Kingdom utilizing their new Lockheed Constellations. BOAC would continue to run its own service in parallel. Qantas first flew the Kangaroo Route on 1 December 1947. ALockheed Constellationcarried 29 passengers and 11 crew from Sydney to London with stops inDarwin,Singapore,Calcutta,Karachi,Cairo,andTripoli(passengers stayed overnight in Singapore and Cairo).[46]A return fare was £585 (equivalent to $89,400 in 2022), equivalent to 130 weeks average pay.[47]
In the 1950s and 1960s some Qantas Kangaroo Routes featured other stops, includingFrankfurt,Zürich,Rome,Athens,Beirut,Tehran,Bombay,andColombo.[48][49]In May 1958 the Kangaroo Route had 11 westward flights a week: four QantasSuper Constellations,four BOACBritannias,and one Air India Super Constellation from Sydney to London, one KLM Super Constellation Sydney to Amsterdam, and oneTAIDouglas DC-6BAuckland to Paris. In February 1959 Qantas' fastest Super Constellation took 63 hr 45 min Sydney to Heathrow and BOAC's Britannia took 49 hr 25 min. Jet flights (Qantas withBoeing 707) started in 1959; in April 1960 the fastest trip from Sydney to London was 34 hr 30 min with eight stops.
In the late 1950s, Qantas had a round-the-world network, flying Australia to Europe westward on the Kangaroo Route and eastward on theSouthern Cross Route(via thePacific Ocean).[1]In 1964 Qantas started a third route to London via Tahiti,Mexico,and theCaribbean,called the Fiesta Route.[50]Qantas dropped its Southern Cross Route and Fiesta Route in 1975. By 1969, Qantas had 11 Kangaroo Route flights a week from Sydney to London, taking 29–32 hours with 5–6 stops each; BOAC's 7-9 weekly flights previously had 7 stops.
In 1971 Qantas addedBoeing 747s,reducing the travel time and number of stops (in the late 1970s flights typically stopped at Singapore andBahrain). Fares fell, opening air travel to more people with more competition.
One-stop flights (1974–2018)
edit
In April 1974 Qantas commenced operating a one stop service fromPerthto London with only one stop inBombaywithBoeing 707s.[51][52]
In 1989 Qantas set a world distance record for commercial jets when aBoeing 747-400,theCity of Canberra(VH-OJA),flew non-stop from London to Sydney in just over 20 hours (with special fuel[53]and without passengers or cargo). This was the only nonstop flight ever made between both cities for the next 3 decades.[54]
Starting in January 2009, Qantas began utilising its new A380 aircraft on the Kangaroo Route, raising its capacity to 450 passengers per flight.[55]
As part of a partnership approved in 2013 withEmirates,Qantas announced that its services to London would stop inDubairather than Singapore, beginning that same year.[56]Qantas also announced that its services toFrankfurtvia Singapore would be discontinued in April 2013, leaving London as its only European destination.[57]
n2017,Qantasannouncedarenewalofthispartnershipforanother5yearswiththemodificationoftheQantas'KangarooRoutereverting tooperating withastopoverin Singaporeinstead of Dubai from 25 March 2018.[58][59]
Non-stop flights (2018– )
edit
Non-stop flights from Perth to London commenced in March 2018 withBoeing 787s,[60]with the Kangaroo route becoming a non-stop route for the first time, while also connecting Australia and Europe via a non-stop route for the first time. These flights operate out of Perth's Terminal 3 rather than the traditional T1 in order to facilitate seamless transfers from Qantas domestic flights. The route also opens up the possibility of further direct flights to Europe from Perth such as Rome (launched June 2022)[61]and Paris (launched July 2024).[62]
In late March 2020, prior to Qantas cutting all international services due to theCOVID-19 pandemic,several repatriation flights were operated with a routing of Sydney-Darwin-London.[63]The Singaporean government had banned transit passengers and airspace in theMiddle Eastwas closed, due to the pandemic. This was the first time an Airbus A380 flew nonstop between Australia and Europe.[64]
In November 2021, Qantas resumed non-stop Kangaroo Route flights, this time from Darwin to London[65]before resuming the non-stop route between Perth and London in May 2022 following the reopening of Western Australia for international travel.[66]
Qantas' evolution of the Kangaroo Route
editSince its founding in 1935, Qantas has evolved the Kangaroo Route over time in terms of "hops" (routings), duration, and aircraft used. Illustrated in the below table are snapshots of that ongoing evolution over the years.
| Year | Number of stops | Total durationnote | Route (From-via-To) | Aircraft and operator | Passengers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1935 | 38[67][68][69] | 12.5 days[67][70][71][72][73] | Brisbane
Stops 1-17 operated byQantas Empire Airways
Stops 18-27 operated by Indian Trans-Continental Airways
Stops 28-38 operated byImperial Airways
Croydon(then train to London) |
De Havilland 86(Qantas Empire Airways)[74][75]
Armstrong Whitworth Atalanta(Indian Trans-continental Airways) Handley Page H.P.42"Hannibal" (Imperial Airways) Handley Page H.P.45"Heracles" (Imperial Airways)[76] |
9[74] |
| 1937 | 41[73][68] | 12.5 days[77] | Brisbane
Stops 1-18 operated byQantas Empire Airways
Stops 19-28 operated by Indian Trans-Continental Airways
Stops 29-41 operated byImperial Airways
Southampton, England(then train to London) |
De Havilland 86(Qantas Empire Airways)
Armstrong Whitworth Atalanta(Indian Trans-continental Airways) Handley Page H.P.42"Hannibal" (Imperial Airways) Handley Page H.P.45"Heracles" (Imperial Airways) |
9 |
| 1938 | 35[78][79] | 9 days 20 hours[78] | Sydney
Stops 1-12 operated by Qantas Empire Airways
Stops 13-35 operated by Imperial Airways
Southampton, England(then train to London) |
Short S23 ‘C’ Class Empire flying boat(Qantas Empire Airways)[80]
Short S23 ‘C’ Class Empire flying boat(Imperial Airways)[81] |
15[80][82] |
| 1947 | 6[83][79][84] | 3 days 20 hours[83][85] | Sydney
London |
Lockheed Constellation[83][86] | 29[79] |
| 1955 | 8[87] | 3 days 6 hours[87] | Sydney
London |
Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation | 57[88][89] |
| 1959 | 8[90] | 38 hours[90] | Sydney
London |
Boeing 707-138 | 120[79][89] |
| 1965 | 5[91] | 30 hours[91] | Sydney
London |
Boeing 707-320 | 220[88] |
| 1971 | 2[92] | 26 hours[93] | Sydney
London |
Boeing 747-200B | 356[94][95] |
| 1977 | 1[92] | 23 hours[79] | Perth
London |
Boeing 747-200B[96] | 436[97] |
| 1990 | 1[98] | 24 hours[88] | Sydney
London |
Boeing 747-400 | 412[99] |
| 2013 | 1[100] | 23 hours 30 min[101] | Sydney
London |
Airbus A380-800[101] | 484[103][88] |
| 2018 | 0 | 17 hours 20 min[104] | Perth
London |
Boeing 787-9 | 236[105] |
| 2026[106] | 0[107] | 20 hours (estimated)[108] | Sydney
London |
Airbus A350-1000 | 238[109] |
Note:^Duration is total elapsed travel time westbound (including stops)
Competing one-stop flights
editWhile "The Kangaroo Route™" is a trademarked term belonging to Qantas,[4]it is oftengenericizedby the media, other operators, and even Qantas themselves to refer to all flights between Australia and the United Kingdom.
Today Qantas remains the sole operator of "The Kangaroo Route" as well as the only nonstop flight between Australia and the United Kingdom. British Airways continues to operate its legacy route it has served since 1935 when it was Imperial Airways,[110]offering the only otherdirect flightfrom Australia to the United Kingdom.
Forming a competitive market, there are over 20 airlines operating competing one-stop flights from Australia to the United Kingdom via the Eastern Hemisphere as seen in the table below:
 Origin
|
Airline | Transit |  Destination
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Melbourne, Sydney | Air China[112] |  Beijing–Capital
|
Gatwick, Heathrow |
| Melbourne[note 1],Sydney[note 2] | China Southern[115][116] | Beijing–Da xing
|
Heathrow |
| Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney | Guangzhou
|
Gatwick,[117]Heathrow | |
| Sydney | Tianjin Airlines[118][119] | Chongqing
|
Heathrow |
| Melbourne, Sydney | Beijing Capital Airlines[120] | Qingdao
|
Heathrow |
| Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth[note 3],Sydney | China Eastern[122] | Shanghai–Pudong
|
Gatwick, Heathrow |
| Melbourne[note 4],Sydney[note 5] | Juneyao Air[125] | Manchester | |
| Adelaide[note 6],Brisbane, Cairns[note 7],Melbourne, Perth, Sydney | Cathay Pacific[126] |  Hong Kong
|
Heathrow + Manchester |
| Melbourne | Air India[127][128][129] |  Mumbai
|
Heathrow |
| Melbourne, Sydney | New Delhi
|
Heathrow + Birmingham | |
| Sydney | All Nippon Airways[130] |  Tokyo–Haneda
|
Heathrow |
| Sydney | Japan Airlines[131] | Heathrow | |
| Adelaide, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney | Malaysia Airlines[132] |  Kuala Lumpur
|
Heathrow |
| Perth | Air Mauritius[133] |  Port Louis
|
Gatwick |
| Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney | Qatar Airways[134] |  Doha
|
Gatwick, Heathrow + Birmingham, Edinburgh, Manchester |
| Perth | Qantas[135][136] | Non-Stop | Heathrow |
| Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Darwin, Melbourne, Sydney | Perth
|
Heathrow | |
| Brisbane, Darwin[note 8],Melbourne, Perth, Sydney |  Singapore
|
Heathrow | |
| Sydney | British Airways[138] | Heathrow | |
| Adelaide, Brisbane, Cairns, Darwin, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney | Singapore Airlines[139] | Gatwick,[140]Heathrow + Manchester | |
| Melbourne, Sydney | Asiana Airlines[141] |  Seoul–Incheon
|
Heathrow |
| Brisbane, Sydney | Korean Air[142] | Heathrow | |
| Melbourne, Sydney | SriLankan Airlines[143] |  Colombo
|
Heathrow |
| Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney | China Airlines[144] |  Taipei–Taoyuan
|
Heathrow |
| Perth, Melbourne, Sydney | Thai Airways[145] |  Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi
|
Heathrow |
| Melbourne, Sydney | Etihad Airways[146] |  Abu Dhabi
|
Heathrow + Manchester |
| Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney | Emirates[147] | Dubai
|
Gatwick, Heathrow, Stansted + Birmingham, Edinburgh,[148]Glasgow, Manchester, Newcastle |
| Melbourne, Sydney | Vietnam Airlines[149][150] |  Hanoi
|
Heathrow |
| Melbourne, Perth, Sydney | Ho Chi Minh City
|
Heathrow |
Project Sunrise
editOn 25 August 2017, Qantas announced Project Sunrise, aiming to fly non-stop from the East Coast of Australia (Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane) to London, Paris, Cape Town, Rio de Janeiro and New York City by 2022, and challengedBoeingandAirbusto create aircraft that can travel to such places without stopping.[151]Both Boeing and Airbus submitted proposals in 2019. Boeing announced some delays in the777-8Xproject in August 2019 afterEtihad Airwaysdropped orders made in 2013, but the company made it clear that it remained in contention for Project Sunrise.[152]
On 18–20 October 2019, Qantas made a 19-hour test flight QF7879 with a Boeing 787-9 fromNew YorktoSydney.[153]The next month, Qantas operated its first 19-20 hour test flight fromLondonto Sydney using again a Boeing 787-9.[154]Two months later, on 13 December 2019, Qantas announced that their preferred aircraft for the project was theAirbus A350-1000.The aircraft will have an additional fuel tank and slightly increasedMTOWto deliver the performance required on the Project Sunrise routes. Qantas stated they were working with Airbus to order up to 12 aircraft, with the final decision expected within 2020.[155]
On 2 May 2022, after the project was put on hold for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic,[156]Qantas placed a formal order for 12 Airbus A350-1000 aircraft for Project Sunrise flights to commence in "late 2025" between its first two routes: Sydney to London, and Sydney to New York.[106][157]The 238 seats will be split into 6first classsuites (three-abreast), 52business classsuites (four-abreast), 40premium economyseats at 40″ pitch (eight-abreast) and 140economy classseats at 33″ pitch (nine-abreast).[158] Qantas expects these ultra-long-haul flights to drive an annual earnings increase of A$400 million ($261 million) in the first full year with all 12 aircraft in service.[159]
In February 2024, Qantas announced that due to manufacturing delays (which were blamed on a regulator-required fuel tank redesign[160]), delivery of the A350-1000 aircraft would be delayed by six months, thus delaying the launch of the first project Sunrise flights until mid-2026.[161][162] The third centre fuel tank was certified by June 2024; deliveries were then expected from the third quarter of 2026.[163]
Throughout the summer of 2024, Qantas announced more details regarding its development of Project Sunrise. News publications revealed features such as "Wellness Zone" that would be available for passengers onboard as a "stretch and movement space" in order to mitigatejetlag.Additionally, "fast and free" Wi-Fi onboard was promised.[164]
In literature
editThe bookBeyond the Blue Horizonby travel correspondentAlexander Fraterdocuments the author's attempt to fly all the sectors on the original 1935 Imperial/Qantas London-Brisbane route in 1984.
See also
edit- Southern Cross Route– the Kangaroo Route's counterpart traveling via the Western Hemisphere
- Wallaby Route- Route launched by Qantas in 1952 connecting Sydney to Johannesburg
- Fiesta Route- Qantas' route that existed from 1964-1975 connecting Sydney to London via Fiji, Tahiti, Acapulco, Mexico City, The Bahamas, and Bermuda.[165][166]
Notes
editReferences
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- ^"The Qantas Story — 25 Years of Progress".Longreach Leader.10 December 1947.Retrieved14 March2023.
- ^Gunn, John (1987).Challenging Horizons: Qantas 1939-1954.john gunn.ISBN978-0-7022-2017-3.
- ^ab"Trade Mark Details for Trade Mark 330928".Australian Government - IP Australia.Retrieved17 January2023.
- ^"Qantas statement on Virgin Atlantic Airways becoming 21st carrier on the Kangaroo Route"(Press release). Qantas. 28 November 2003. Archived fromthe originalon 17 July 2006.
- ^"London to Perth: Everything you need to know about the first non-stop flights from Britain to Australia".The Telegraph.Retrieved30 December2017.
- ^"Qantas confirms non-stop Perth-UK flight".The West Australian.11 December 2016.Retrieved20 February2023.
- ^"Our Logos".Qantas.Retrieved14 March2023.
- ^ab"QANTAS EMPIRE AIRWAYS CHRONOLOGICAL HISTORY".Cloncurry Advocate.30 May 1947.Retrieved14 March2023.
- ^Gunn, John (1985).The Defeat of Distance: Qantas 1919-1939.john gunn. p. 190.ISBN978-0-7022-1707-4.
- ^Brogden, Stanley, ed. (1949).Australian Aviation Annual.p. 59.
- ^Crouch, Wallace (2 July 1976)."None of their aircraft was missing".The Sydney Morning Herald.p. 7.Retrieved14 March2023.
- ^"Qantas to Celebrate Kangaroo Logo Anniversary with Retro Livery".Qantas.Retrieved14 March2023.
- ^"Kangaroo Service".Daily News.25 June 1945.Retrieved14 March2023.
- ^"96 Years in the making, Qantas Livery throughout the ages"(PDF).Qantas.1 October 2016.Retrieved14 March2023.
- ^Eames, Jim (14 December 2017)."Double sunrise: How Qantas preserved vital link to Britain during World War II".The Sydney Morning Herald.Retrieved14 March2023.
- ^"WORLD'S LONGEST AIR HOP TO BE" KANGAROO SERVICE "".Argus.7 August 1944.Retrieved13 March2023.
- ^"QANTAS Airways Ltd v Danniel Amadio [2011] ATMO 84 - BarNet Jade".jade.io.Retrieved13 March2023.
- ^"NON-STOP AIR SERVICE".Daily Commercial News and Shipping List.7 August 1944.Retrieved13 March2023.
- ^"Thirty Years of Qantas".Flightglobal.16 November 1950. p. 437. Archived fromthe originalon 7 March 2018.Retrieved13 March2023.
- ^Gunn, John (1987).Challenging Horizons: Qantas 1939-1954.john gunn. p. 143.ISBN978-0-7022-2017-3.
- ^"SYDNEY-LONDON IN 72 HOURS".Advocate.19 September 1944.Retrieved13 March2023.
- ^The Longest Hop - Qantas' Kangaroo Route,retrieved13 March2023
- ^Robinson, Dean (April 2020)."SOUTH AUSTRALIAN AVIATION MUSEUM - SIGNIFICANT AIRCRAFT PROFILES: QEA EMPIRE FLYING BOATS"(PDF).South Australian Aviation Museum History Group.
- ^"Explore our past: 1930 – 1939".British Airways.Retrieved28 November2019.
- ^"Venturing Overseas".Qantas.au.Retrieved24 October2012.
- ^"Imperial Airways timetable, 1935".Timetable Images.Retrieved27 August2020.
- ^"Imperial Airways route map, 1935".Timetable Images.Retrieved27 August2020.
- ^Watson, Captain Dacre."British Overseas Airways Corporation 1940-1950 and It's Legacy"(PDF).Journal of Aeronautical History.2013/03: 144.
- ^abcdeWilson, John (February 2009)."Report on the Progress of Civil Aviation 1939-1945"(PDF).The Great Britain Philatelic Society.Retrieved13 October2023.
- ^Madden, Phillip (2018).The Flying Boat Era: Its Role as a Catalyst in the Development of Aviation and Social History in Australia(PDF).Griffith University. pp. 80–81.
- ^ab"EMPIRE AIR SERVICES".Sydney Morning Herald.13 June 1940.Retrieved17 October2023.
- ^"Empire Air Line Change".Daily Telegraph.19 June 1940.Retrieved17 October2023.
- ^"End of Horseshoe Route".nzstamps.org.uk.Retrieved13 October2023.
- ^"Australia aka Guba Flying Boat Flight".Pathé Gazette (British Pathé).1939.Retrieved13 October2023.
- ^"BOAC General Reports on Services 1941-1945"(PDF).Air-Britain.Retrieved13 October2023.
- ^abSenior, Rex."The Double Sunrise Service"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 13 April 2014.Retrieved2 October2023.
- ^"Qantas to Celebrate Kangaroo Logo Anniversary with Retro Livery".Qantas. 8 October 2014.Retrieved18 October2023.
- ^"Front Line Airline 1939-1945".Qantas.Retrieved17 October2023.
- ^"NEWS OF THE DAY".Age.25 August 1945.Retrieved17 October2023.
- ^"COLOMBO AIR SERVICE".Advocate.30 November 1945.Retrieved17 October2023.
- ^"From London By Air In 70 Hours".Sydney Morning Herald.2 June 1945.Retrieved17 October2023.
- ^"To Singapore By Air - Service Resumed".The Sydney Morning Herald.8 April 1946.Retrieved17 October2023.
- ^"DARWIN BACK AS AIR GATEWAY".Courier-Mail.19 February 1946.Retrieved17 October2023.
- ^"Singapore Air Route Reopened".Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate.4 April 1946.Retrieved17 October2023.
- ^"New Sydney-London Link Completed By Constellation".Sydney Morning Herald.8 December 1947.Retrieved17 October2023.
- ^Creedy, Steve (30 November 2007)."Qantas' Kangaroo route 60th birthday".news.au. Archived fromthe originalon 1 December 2007.Retrieved10 January2008.
- ^"1955: QANTAS Network".
- ^"Qantas Timetable (effective 1 June 1961)".Timetable Images.1 June 1961.Retrieved20 March2023.
- ^"1974: QANTAS Network".
- ^One stop to LondonFreight & Container TransportationApril 1974 page 3
- ^Transport, Australia Dept of (1973).Australian Transport.Australian Government Pub. Service. p. 28.
- ^"Top-secret London-to-Sydney flight broke a record and made aviation history".ABC News.16 August 2019.Retrieved19 January2022.
- ^"Boeing Aircraft Take Qantas Further".Qantas Airways Limited.Retrieved30 October2012.
- ^"Qantas Commences A380 Services to Singapore and the UK".Qantas News Room.16 January 2009.Retrieved29 February2024.
- ^"QANTAS and Emirates".QANTAS. Archived fromthe originalon 18 January 2013.Retrieved9 September2012.
Our Asian services will no longer be a subsidiary of the 'Kangaroo Route', they will be dedicated to connecting Australians with our region, and Asian visitors to Australia.
- ^Flynn, David (17 April 2013)."Qantas bids farewell to Frankfurt".Australian Business Traveller.Retrieved26 March2018.
- ^"QANTAS AND EMIRATES TO EXTEND PARTNERSHIP".Qantas News Room.31 August 2017.Retrieved29 February2024.
- ^"Qantas Reroutes London Flights Through Singapore".Qantas Travel Insider.1 September 2017.Retrieved29 February2024.
- ^Taylor, Ellis (26 March 2019)."Qantas hails successful first year of Perth-London flights".flightglobal.Retrieved1 October2019.
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Further reading
edit- Calder, Simon(22 March 2018)."This is how the journey from Britain to Australia went from 28 days to 17 hours".The Independent.Retrieved16 April2023.
- Gebicki, Michael (13 August 2023)."Non-stop flights v layovers: Which is the best option?".Traveller.Retrieved14 August2023.
- Benson, Shan (director) (1962).The Big Boomerang(Motion picture). Australia: Collings Productions.