Round-the-World Flights

Qantas Inaugurates Round-the-World Jet Air Service

Page 5a (rev: 1000)

Flown Cover	Cancellation	Plane B-707	Logo	Flown Aerogram

	The England-Australia Air Race was won by Ross and Keith Smith, who landed in Darwin on December
10, 1919.  This race was the indirect cause for the start of what was to become Australia's 
international airline and the second oldest airline in the world. Two young ex Flying Corps 
lieutenants, Hudson Fysh and P. McGinness had been given the job of surveying the last leg of 
the race preparing landing fields between Darwin and Queensland. 
	From their survey work, they became convinced that air transport was the only reliable method of 
transport in Australia's outback.  With the backing of Fergus McMaster, on November 16, 1920 they 
registered an air company based at Winton, Queensland. It was called, Queensland And Northern 
Territory Aerial Services Limited (QANTAS).  Their first two years were spent carrying joy-riding 
passengers and in November 1922, they began regular service between Charleville and Cloncurry.  Their
air service was extended to Normanton and in 1928, Cloncurry became the base for the world's 
first flying doctor service (operated by QANTAS for the next 21 years).  In 1931 QANTAS Limited began 
its collaboration with Imperial Airways on the Australia-London run and carried mail between Brisbane 
and Darwin.  In January 1934, the two airlines formed Qantas Empire Airways.  QEA flew the 
Brisbane-Darwin sector and in 1935, it took over the Darwin-Singapore sector from Imperial.
	In 1938, the Short "Empire" Flying Boats were introduced on this route and QANTAS flew as far as 
Karachi, Pakistan.  In 1942 this route was cut off by the warring Japanese.  QANTAS began to operate 
the Catalina Flying boats between Perth and Ceylon. 
	After WW-II,  QANTAS purchased Constellations to fly the "Kangaroo" route to London via 
Singapore.  On January 14, 1958 QANTAS expanded this route inaugurating a round-the-world flight 
service.  Two Super Constellations took off from Melbourne. One travelled via India along the 
Kangaroo Route, while the other flew eastward on the Southern Cross Route via the United States. The 
Constellations circumnavigated the globe in opposite directions, arriving back in Sydney six days 
later. Thereafter, eight round-the-world flights operated weekly. 
	Then in 1959, QANTAS became the first airline outside of the United States to use the Boeing 707 
aircraft on its routes.  On November 16, 1960 QANTAS inaugurated round-the-world jet service.

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