In Dallas, Qantas launches the world’s longest flight on the world’s largest passenger plane

This afternoon, the world’s longest flight will take off from DFW International Airport and land in Sydney, Australia, nearly seventeen hours later and a distance of 8,590 miles. The Qantas Airlines flight marks another first, too: the DFW debut of the world’s largest commercial jet, the double decker A380.

Qantas has configured the plane to carry 480 passengers and the flight will operate daily except Tuesdays. The A380 replaces a Boeing 747 on the route, a plane that carried fewer passengers and required a stop in Brisbane, Australia, for refueling en route to Sydney.

To accommodate the wide body jet, DFW Airport had to install new jet bridges to board passengers through three doors simultaneously. As Australia’s national carrier, Qantas plays a pivotal role in encouraging more Americans to visit Down Under.

And on Wednesday, Emirates begins flying an A380 into and out of DFW, as well.