New York-Sydney: 19-hour non-stop flight

The first of the three scheduled tests of the world's longest non-stop flight has succeeded. A Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner from the Australian company Qantas completed the New York-Sydney route of 16,000 kilometers in 19 hours and 16 minutes. Flight QF7879 was used to assess the effects of long-distance journeys on crew fatigue and passenger jetlag (49 aboard, all employees of the airline). Examinations ranged from pilot brain wave monitoring to passenger melatonin levels. "We are really happy with how the flight went and it is nice to have some data that we need to help assess the start of a regular service," said Captain Sean Golding, who led the four pilots.