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Plane Flies Nonstop From London to Sydney

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From Associated Press

A Qantas jumbo jet made aviation history Thursday by becoming the first commercial airliner to fly nonstop from London to Sydney.

The new $150-million Qantas Airways Boeing 747-400 made the 11,156-mile journey in 20 hours, nine minutes, also setting a speed record. The plane made the journey with 23 people on board, as well as strict limitations on luggage. It carried 56,420 gallons of fuel.

Flights between Australia and London usually make one stop, and complete the trip in about 22 hours.

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The previous long-distance record was held by South African Airways, which flew a specially designed Boeing jet 10,281 miles from Seattle to Cape Town.

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