Qantas is the flag carrier airline of Australia, with its headquarters close to Kingsford Smith Airport in Sydney.
It is the third oldest continuously operating airline in the world.
Qantas’s first regular service, between Charleville and Cloncurry, began in 1922.
Qantas is commonly known as the "Flying Kangaroo" because of its logo, which is identified as a white kangaroo on a red triangle.
Qantas began in Winton, Queensland on 16 November 1920 as Queensland and Northern Territorial Aerial Service Limited.
Qantas flew air mail services for the Australian government.
In 1934, QANTAS Limited and Britain's Imperial Airways formed a new company, Qantas Empire Airways Limited.
In June 1959, Qantas' first jet airliner was delivered, which was a Boeing 707-138.
It was part of the "Kangaroo Service" which would continue all the way to London with stops in Myanmar, Pakistan, India, Sharjah, Iraq, Cairo, Alexandria, Crete and Italy from where passengers had to take a train to Paris. From the French capital passengers would a plane again to continue their trip to London to finish the 20,235km long journey.
The word “Qantas” is an acronym for its original name, “Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services”.
In 1974, Qantas established a world record by evacuating 673 passengers in one of it’s flight from Darwin after the city was hit by Cyclone Tracy.
Qantas Boeing 747-438 made the first record-breaking non-stop flight – London - Sydney non-stop flight, the first commercial airline ever to cover more than 17,000 kilometres.
The airline invests more than 19 million dollars annually in the Australian wine industry through the Qantas Wine Program—and sources more than 250 wines to serve on flights.
In 2008, Quantas achieved a world-record for commercial engine performance with 42,019 hours on-wing.
Qantas has 18 domestic destinations (destinations within Australia) and 23 international destinations in 15 countries.
Qantas made it's international debut on the Darwin - Singapore route in May 1935 on a De Havilland 86. The trip took almost 2 days with a stopover in Rambang, Indonesia. Singapore, which was still part of Malaysia back was the final stop for the Qantas flight.
