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A luxury tour company says it has seen strong interest in a private charter service recreating Qantas’ original “Kangaroo Route”.
The 14-day trip organised by Captain’s Choice, departing in February next year, will use a specially hired Qantas A330-300 to fly from Sydney to London on an “almost identical flight path to the one Qantas first wholly operated in 1947”.
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Stopping in Darwin, Singapore, Kolkata, Colombo, Cairo, Rome, and Toulouse, the “Pioneering Spirit of the Kangaroo Route” tour will have no more than 186 passengers, with business class seats already sold out, Bas Bosschieter, Captain’s Choice chief executive, said.
“In Economy Class we are only selling 150 of the 269 seats to allow our guests more room to spread out,” he told CNN.
“This also means all guests will be seated in a window or aisle seat. With only one sector longer than 4.5 hours, guests will have time to enjoy Business Class catering throughout the aircraft and hand-selected wines and beverages from around the world.”
First launched by Qantas in 1947, the original Kangaroo Route flew from Sydney to London via Darwin, Singapore, Kolkata, Karachi, Cairo, and Tripoli using Lockheed Constellations that accommodated 29 passengers and 10 crew.
The four-day trip cost £525, or more than $35,000 in today’s money, compared to the $49,500 price tag on the Captain’s Choice tour, which includes business class meals for all passengers, luxury hotel stays, and ground activities such as a tour of the Airbus factory in Toulouse.
According to Bosschieter, the route has been “on his radar for many years”.
“The Kangaroo Route has a special meaning for Australians. We like to design truly unique itineraries at Captain’s Choice, and this one fits so well with our brand – being experts in private travel, and given our association with Qantas,” he told CNN.
“We have a long history with Qantas, with our first ever journey through Asia and Africa in 1994 taking place aboard a privately chartered Qantas 767.
“It also highlights how far air travel and travel in general has come. We will be able to recreate the route in a lot more comfort than those who originally travelled.”
Qantas today operates regular passenger services from Sydney to London via Singapore using the A380, as well as via Perth using the 787-9 Dreamliner.
Michael Pilling
says:I would have booked a ticket if it were on a Constellation.