Qantas Celebrates 60 Years of Flying Between Johannesburg & Australia

Qantas is set to celebrate a major milestone in its history, as the airline marks its 60th anniversary of passenger flights between Australia and South Africa on 1 September.
 Qantas first commenced passenger services to Johannesburg on 1 September 1952, when a Lockheed Constellation L-749A aircraft departed Sydney and arrived three days later on 4 September 1952. Following the first flight, there were fortnightly services on the route until 1957, when Qantas and SAA announced a partnership to operate flights between the two countries on alternate weeks. This agreement involved SAA operating DC7B aircraft between Johannesburg and Perth, and Qantas operating Super Constellations from Perth to Sydney and return.
Today, Qantas operates a daily non-stop flight service between Sydney and Johannesburg on a B747-400 aircraft, with a typical flight time of 14 hours and 10 minutes. The return leg is generally assisted by a favourable tailwind, with a typical flying time of only 11 hours and 45 minutes.