Friday March 14, 2025
The year is 1947 and the world is continuing its long crawl out of the shadows of war.
You’re thrilled. After decades in Australia and building a small fortune, you finally have the chance to visit your relatives back in England.
Qantas, Australia’s national airline, has just introduced its first fully Qantas-operated service from Sydney to London on its newly acquired Lockheed Constellation planes.
Known as the “Kangaroo Route,” this is no simple point-to-point trip. The four-day journey includes stops in Darwin, Singapore, Calcutta (now Kolkata), Karachi, Cairo, and Tripoli before finally landing in London—a huge improvement over the 10-day “flying boat” trips that began in 1938.
The plane carries just 29 passengers, along with a crew of three pilots, one navigator, one radio operator, two flight engineers, and three cabin crew.
The price? A staggering £525—equivalent to about £17,400 (around $22,450) in 2025, according to the Bank of England’s inflation calculator.
‘Special meaning for Australians’
Fast forward to today, and travelers can fly between Sydney and London in under 30 hours with just one stop. Convenient? Yes. Memorable? Not so much.
For those with a little extra time and money, luxury travel operator Captain’s Choice has introduced a new 14-day tour called the “Pioneering Spirit of the Kangaroo Route.” Taking off on February 3, 2026, the tour retraces the legendary 1947 Qantas flight path, blending nostalgia with modern comfort.
Guests will fly aboard a chartered Qantas Airbus A330-300, stopping in Darwin, Singapore, Kolkata, Colombo, Cairo, Toulouse, and Rome. They’ll stay in top-tier hotels and enjoy curated experiences at each destination.
“It’s been on my radar for many years to recreate this iconic route,” says Captain’s Choice CEO Bas Bosschieter. “The Kangaroo Route holds a special meaning for Australians. This journey fits perfectly with our brand—offering private, bespoke travel experiences—and builds on our long relationship with Qantas, which began with our first chartered Qantas 767 trip through Asia and Africa in 1994.”
Bosschieter shares that planning this trip took significant effort, including consulting historical experts to weave in authentic touches from the original route. “We’re still finalizing details, but expect retro Qantas merchandise, stories from former Qantas pilots, and maybe even a Super Constellation at our welcome dinner,” he says. “I recently spoke to someone who flew the original Kangaroo Route, and we hope to share some of those stories during the trip.”
A Luxury Experience Like No Other
The trip starts at 49,950 Australian dollars (around $31,000) per person, covering all meals, drinks, hotels, tours, transfers, tips, and flights. Guests can customize their stopovers to match their interests, with exclusive VIP experiences included.
In Sri Lanka, guests will have the chance to meet a legendary Sri Lankan cricketer before a private dinner at the prime minister’s residence. In Rome, they’ll enjoy an after-hours tour of the Vatican Museum. The journey will wrap up with an insider’s tour of the Airbus factory in Toulouse, followed by a farewell dinner beneath the wings of a Concorde jet.
As expected at this price point, the accommodations are world-class. In Singapore, for example, guests will stay at the Ritz-Carlton Millenia.
Interest has been strong, with Business Class already sold out. “In Economy Class, we’re only offering 150 of the 269 seats to give guests more space,” says Bosschieter. “Everyone will have a window or aisle seat, and with only one sector longer than 4.5 hours, guests can enjoy Business Class-level catering and a hand-picked selection of fine wines and beverages.”
Why the demand? Bosschieter believes it’s a mix of nostalgia and the desire for a unique travel experience. “The Kangaroo Route represents how far air travel has come,” he says. “Recreating this journey with modern comforts makes it a true once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
What’s next for Qantas? Project Sunrise
The timing of Captain’s Choice’s Kangaroo Route revival is no coincidence. In 2026, Qantas is set to make aviation history once again with the launch of its long-anticipated Project Sunrise—a plan to operate the world’s longest nonstop flights.
Qantas will introduce direct flights from Sydney to London and New York, serviced by specially outfitted Airbus A350-1000 jets, with flight times reaching up to 20 hours.
Project Sunrise was first announced in 2017, its name inspired by the covert and dangerous flights operated from Perth to Sri Lanka en route to London during World War II—journeys so long that pilots witnessed two sunrises.
In 2019, Qantas ran three trial flights to gather data for Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority, which required evidence that pilots, crew, and passengers could physically and mentally handle up to 22 hours in the air.
During these tests, pilots wore brainwave monitors and had their melatonin levels tracked through urine samples before and after the flights to measure how their sleep cycles were affected. Passengers in the main cabin wore monitoring devices, allowing scientists to study how lighting, food and drink, movement, sleep patterns, and inflight entertainment influenced their health and well-being.
While no official launch date has been announced, Qantas expects to receive its first Airbus A350-1000 jets for Project Sunrise in mid-2026.
