Qantas A380 takes a landmark direct flight from Australia to London

You might assume that record-breaking flights are a thing of the past, with airports and airlines around the globe grinding to a halt during the pandemic.

However, in an unexpected turn, Qantas is operating the first-ever A380 passenger service between Australia and London, but only for a few days.

So, what led to this historic flight?

The kangaroo’s unexpected twist

Qantas will suspend all international flights by the end of March, with its iconic QF1 ‘Kangaroo Route’ from Sydney to London via Singapore making its final departure on March 26, according to Executive Traveller.

However, Singapore Changi Airport will stop allowing transit passengers starting March 24, leaving Qantas with a tricky situation.

In an unexpected twist on the Kangaroo Route, Qantas will now make a 90-minute fuel stop in Darwin, Northern Territory, before continuing the 16-plus-hour journey to London.

This marks the first time Darwin and London will be directly connected by flight, though Darwin has previously served as a stop on this famous route.

Coincidentally, Darwin was part of the original Kangaroo Route in the 1930s, which took 37 days and included 10 stops along the way.

“The round-trip fare was approximately £400, which at the time equated to two years' worth of minimum wages, making this journey one reserved exclusively for the wealthy,” Geoffrey Thomas, editor-in-chief of AirlineRatings, shared with Dinogo Travel in 2017.

Darwin is strategically located along the most direct route from Sydney to London, making it the perfect spot for a brief stopover before the 17-hour flight to London.

Qantas' final return QF2 flight from London to Sydney via Darwin will depart on March 27, with the aircraft arriving the following day.

Farewell to the superjumbo

Qantas is grounding its entire fleet of 150 aircraft, including 12 A380s, until at least the end of May.

With Airbus ending production of the superjumbo by 2021 and airlines already retiring their A380s, passengers may soon face their last chance to fly on one of Qantas’ iconic red-tailed A380s, according to the One Mile At A Time aviation site.

Despite being a popular choice among consumers, “The A380 was a poor business decision from the start,” says Kenneth Button, professor of public policy at George Mason University.

“Boeing had the right idea when it claimed more passengers preferred direct flights instead of transferring through large hubs connected by superjumbos, and then traveling on smaller single-aisle planes,” he explains.

“This is why the 787, with its mid-range capacity, fuel efficiency, and long-range capabilities (as well as its ability to operate as a freighter), became the winner,” Button tells Dinogo Travel.

Qantas has recently been part of several notable aviation milestones. Last November, Flight QF7879 from London to Sydney set the record for the world’s longest commercial flight, covering 17,800 kilometers (about 11,060 miles) and taking 19 hours and 19 minutes.

In March 2018, a Qantas aircraft completed the first nonstop flight from Australia to the UK, with a Boeing Dreamliner flying directly from Perth to London.

Although these Darwin-London flights may not become iconic aviation milestones, they represent another unexpected turn in an already chaotic period for the airline industry.