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Melbourne Airport: Victorians are California dreaming as Qantas announces new San Francisco service

Direct News Source

15-Dec-2017 Qantas' famed 787-9 Dreamliner played a starring role in the airline's latest announcement, with Victorian travellers set to welcome a new non-stop Melbourne to San Francisco service announced today.

The announcement came as the airline's first 787-9 departed from Melbourne, heading to Los Angeles on its inaugural international flight.

Victorian travellers prepared to depart as the first commercial passengers in Australia to experience Qantas' most advanced aircraft, as the airline's famed 787-9 Dreamliner departed Melbourne Airport today on its inaugural service to Los Angeles.

The 236-seat Boeing Dreamliner will fly non-stop between Melbourne and Los Angeles six times per week, in addition to the existing daily A380 service from Melbourne. The Melbourne-San Francisco service will commence in late 2018.

Melbourne Airport Chief of Aviation Simon Gandy said he was pleased for Qantas and the airline's passengers.

"The launch of the Dreamliner is a significant milestone for Qantas and we are pleased to be part of the carrier's history as the host city for the inaugural flight," said Mr Gandy.

"It's quite fitting really as Melbourne Airport was also the first airport to launch the Qantas A380 almost a decade ago."

"The Dreamliner is a game-changer for the industry and Qantas and has gone above and beyond with this product by completely re-designing its travel experience. Improvements have been made to interior elements such as lighting, seating, and in-flight dining."

"Importantly, the new economics of long-haul services that the Dreamliner delivers mean non-stop services between Melbourne and San Francisco now stack-up commercially for airlines. This is the perfect example of just how these aircraft will change the face of global aviation in the coming years - delivering even more options for Victorian jetsetters than they've ever had."

Mr Gandy said Qantas is now Melbourne Airport's 10th airline to offer non-stop travel on a Dreamliner.

"This new service joins the growing number of 787 aircraft departing Melbourne, including destinations as diverse as Ho Chi Minh City, Vancouver, Santiago and now Los Angeles as we embrace the revolution taking place in our skies," said Mr Gandy.

"These aircraft are making our world even more accessible and in a way that enables our customer airlines to keep their costs low, which is good for everyone."

"The investment in new aircraft technology goes hand in hand with investment by the airport to meet the growth Melbourne is experiencing in international passenger traffic. In the past five years from FY12 to FY17 international passenger numbers have increased by 46 per cent," said Mr Gandy.

Forecasts predict the airport will serve 60 million travellers per year by 2033 and Melbourne is set to surpass Sydney as Australia's largest city.

Mr Gandy thanked Qantas for providing additional capacity on the Melbourne to LA route for Victorian travellers.