The world's first nonstop flight between Australia and Europe is, for now, no more. Qantas launched its Perth–London Heathrow service in March 2018, a roughly 17-hour hop that made aviation history. But the route has been quietly suspended, with the flight now running as QF209 with a stop at Singapore Changi — pushing the total trip past 20 hours.
Why the change? The Perth–London route, at over 9,000 miles, pushes the Boeing 787-9 well beyond its official listed range, which is why Qantas fits just 236 seats on an aircraft normally configured for around 290. Even so, westbound flights averaged only 219 seats sold per flight between October 2024 and September 2025 — payload restrictions forced roughly 16 seats to stay empty. When Middle East airspace closures following the 2026 Iran crisis added up to 45 minutes of flying time, the economics stopped working. Rerouting via Singapore lets Qantas carry more than 60 extra passengers per flight. It's not unprecedented: the airline made the same temporary switch twice in 2024. Nonstop London flights aren't expected to return until February at the earliest.
Rome, meanwhile, is thriving. The Perth–Fiumicino service, launched in 2022, sits comfortably within the 787-9's range and has posted load factors above 90%, with more than half of passengers connecting from eastern Australia. Qantas is nearly doubling capacity for 2026: the season stretches from early May to late October with a fourth weekly frequency in peak summer, adding roughly 10,000 seats. Perth–Paris flights have also been rerouted via Sydney and Singapore, though frequency rises from three to five weekly through August 2026.
The detours haven't dampened Qantas's European ambitions. With Middle Eastern hubs — which normally carry around half of all Europe–Australia traffic — weakened by the conflict, the airline sees an opening. International CEO Cam Wallace says 2026 will be its biggest year yet, with nearly 300,000 seats linking Perth nonstop with London, Paris and Rome.
These Perth routes also serve as a proving ground for Project Sunrise, Qantas's plan to connect Sydney and Melbourne directly with London and New York. Twelve specially modified Airbus A350-1000ULRs, fitted with a 20,000-litre extra fuel tank and a low-density 238-seat cabin including a first-class suite section and a 'Wellbeing Zone' for stretching, will do the flying. The first test aircraft flew in Toulouse in June 2026, first delivery is slated for April 2027, and London flights begin in October 2027 with New York following in mid-2028.
For travellers, the practical takeaway: if you're flying Perth to Europe in the next several months, expect a stop — usually Singapore — and build in the extra hours. On the flip side, there are far more seats to go around, and Perth–Rome is bigger than ever. If a nonstop is non-negotiable, Rome is currently your only option, and it pays to book early given how well that flight sells.
