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Australia's Qantas Tests 19 ½-hour London-Sydney Flight

Associated Press

   PERTH, AUSTRALIA - Australia's national carrier Qantas Friday
   successfully completed a 19½-hour, nonstop flight from London to
   Sydney, which was used to run a series of tests to assess the effects
   of ultralong-haul flights on crew fatigue and passenger jetlag.

   The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner took off from London's Heathrow Airport
   Thursday morning and touched down at Sydney Airport 45 minutes behind
   schedule at 12:30 p.m. Friday.

   The 17,800-kilometer (11,060-mile) journey was part of Project Sunrise
   -- Qantas' goal to operate regular, nonstop commercial flights from
   Australia's east coast cities of Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne to
   London and New York.

   Last month, Qantas completed the first nonstop flight from New York to
   Sydney, which took 19 hours and 16 minutes. Another New York to Sydney
   flight is expected next month to round out the project.

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