Qantas Celebrates 90 Years of International Service
- Joe Breitfeller
- 9 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Qantas is celebrating 90 years of international flying, with the carrier’s first international flight taking to the skies on April 17, 1935. The first flight traveled from Brisbane to Singapore with two passengers aboard a DH86 aircraft.
On Thursday (April 17, 2025), Qantas announced the celebration of 90 years of international flying, with the carrier’s first international flight taking place on April 19, 1935. The first international flight carried two passengers from Brisbane to Singapore with a DH86 aircraft. The flight included 16 stops along the way and took a total of three and a half days. Over the last nine decades, more than 273 million customers have flown across Qantas’ international network, which now includes 56 routes to 34 destinations in 25 countries worldwide.
In Thursday’s announcement, Qantas International’s CEO, Cam Wallace, said,
“Our first international flight took over three days to reach Singapore from Brisbane, carrying just a few passengers and making more than 15 stops. Fast forward to today and we’re flying thousands of passengers daily on nonstop services between Australia to Singapore and over 7.6 million customers travelled on our broader international network in 2024 – a powerful reflection of how far international travel has come.
“We’re incredibly proud of our history, but equally excited about what’s ahead. This year will see more growth across the Qantas international network, with the launch of flights from Melbourne to Honolulu next month and Sydney to Sapporo later in the year.
“We also look forward to the arrival of our new A350 aircraft, which will reshape what’s possible in ultra-long-haul travel with the introduction of our Project Sunrise non-stop flights from Sydney to London and New York.”
Marking this milestone occasion, Qantas is unveiling a collection of historical content from their official archives. Qantas will also unveil three limited-edition amenity kit for Business Class guests featuring art from the carrier’s historic archives. These special amenity kits will be rolled out across the Qantas network in the coming months.
Source: Qantas