Qantas is set to celebrate the passing of 60 years since its first flight between the UK and Australia tomorrow (December 1st).

The carrier first flew from Sydney to London - the so-called Kangaroo Route - in 1947 onboard a Lockheed Constellation, carrying 29 passengers and 11 crew members. The journey took 55 hours in total.

Today, the same journey made with a Boeing 747-400 takes 23 hours, with just one stopover needed compared with the six - Darwin, Singapore, Calcutta, Karachi, Cairo and Tripoli - made 60 years ago.

Qantas chief executive Geoff Dixon commented: "The Kangaroo Route helped seal Qantas' reputation as a leader in long distance international air travel."

He added: "That first flight in 1947 was a momentous step in Australian aviation."

The carrier now offers flights from London to Hong Kong, Bangkok, Singapore and Melbourne, in addition to its services to Sydney.

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