QF3, from Sydney to New York via Auckland, took off at 9:55am on Wednesday morning aboard the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner VH-ZNL (pictured), one of Qantas’s newest aircraft, which was delivered at the end of April. The 19-hour route will operate three times weekly, increasing to four from October, with more than 1,800 seats per week.

The new wide-body aircraft – registered VH-ZNM and named ‘Mateship’ – only arrived from Boeing’s Everett factory earlier this month but has been quickly put to use.

The event, supported by UNSW Sydney, is tracking to be our biggest yet, with submissions already lodged by many of the biggest names in the industry. 

Launched on board a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenburg Space Force Base in California, the prototype is part of a program partnering with Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs) on a space-based solution to track aircraft and provide global communication between pilots and air traffic control irrespective of a plane’s location.