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Kangaroo Route turns 60

Qantas recently celebrated the 60th anniversary of its flights between Australia and the UK.

Flag-carrying airline Qantas recently celebrated the 60th anniversary of flights between Australia and the United Kingdom, better known as the Kangaroo Route.

The first ever Qantas flight between Australia and the UK departed on December 1st 1947.

It was not as direct as the services that modern passengers have come to know, however – it left Sydney and flew to Darwin, Singapore, Calcutta, Karachi, Cairo and Tripoli before arriving in London 93 hours later.

Geoff Dixon, chief executive officer of the airline, said that the occasion marked the beginning of a new era of transportation between these two historically-linked nations.

The connection between Australia and the UK is one of the world's most important celebrated air routes, Mr Dixon claimed.

"The Kangaroo Route helped seal Qantas' reputation as a leader in long distance international air travel," he added.

"While changes in air travel over the last 60 years have been spectacular, this particular route has always had an iconic status for us - and for the broader aviation industry."

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