Qantas has once set a new speed record for the Perth to London QF9 Boeing 787-9 non-stop flight slashing almost an hour off the scheduled flight time.
The new record time was set on July 20 and was just 16 hours 23 minutes instead of the scheduled 17 hours 20 minutes.
The non-stop flight to London, launched in March, is now consistently at least 45 minutes better than scheduled.
The times have gradually been getting better as the strong northern winter winds have given way to a lighter summer pattern.
The inbound QF10 from London to Perth is also setting record times of 15.45 minutes also stripping an hour off the published time.
The average speed for the QF10 journey is about 936km/h with ground speeds topping out at over 1120km/h.
The typical cruise speed for a 787 is 900km/h.
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According to Flightradar24 the Qantas Perth to London and return service is now consistently beating the published schedule in both directions.
WATCH: Qantas 787 Quokka inflight
Qantas has orders and price rights for 45 787s.
At the Boeing factory the 6th, VH-ZNF, is in pre-delivery, while VH-ZNH and VH ZNG the 774 and 778th 787s will be delivered later this year.
The airline has firm orders for another 6 to be delivered later in 2019.
It has announced new routes including Melbourne to San Francisco, Brisbane-LA-New York and Sydney/Melbourne and Brisbane to Hong Kong.
These services just replace A380s or 747s
The next all new route is thought to be Sydney to Chicago.
According to travel agents, the Perth to London nonstop is proving popular and it is difficult to get premium seats.
Supporting the pilots of the nonstop flight is the high-tech Qantas integrated operations center at the airline’s Mascot headquarters.
Multi-disciplinary experts in areas such as load control, engineering, weather forecasting, catering, flight planning, dispatch and customer service monitor the operations, plan flights and are ready to leap into action when something goes amiss.
Qantas chief technical pilot Alex Passerini said key issues with the London flight include avoiding headwinds, because they made a significant difference to the flight time, and negotiating the complicated patchwork of air traffic control regions run by various countries.
The airline has its own weather forecasters who monitor conditions up to seven days before the flight and keep a closer watch once it is 72 hours away.
