Qantas Revives the Historic Kangaroo Route with a Luxury 14-Day Air Cruise

In the 1940s, traveling between Sydney and London by plane was a 54-hour, four-day, seven-stop marathon, dubbed the “Kangaroo Route” by airline Qantas. 80 years on, and travelers now have quicker ways of reaching Down Under: most choose 24-hour itineraries with a single stopover in Asia or the Middle East or 17-hour journeys via Perth in Western Australia.

But if you yearn for a more romantic, slower-paced journey, you’re in luck, provided you have the cash and free time next February.

A Luxurious Recreation of a Classic Journey

Luxury tour operator Captain’s Choice has partnered with Qantas to launch a one-off air cruise between Oz and the UK, replicating the Kangaroo Route.

But the trip will be more lavish than in the 1940s. Rather than a four-day hurtle, the journey will take an indulgent 14 days, with travelers spending one to three nights in luxury hotels on each of their stopovers.

Photo: Airbus A330-300. Courtesy of Qantas

“The Kangaroo Route has a special meaning for Australians,” said Captain’s Choice CEO Bas Bosschieter. “We wanted to recreate this iconic journey while enhancing it with the comforts of the modern era.”

Updated Itinerary

The itinerary has also been tweaked. Just like in the original Kangaroo Route, travelers will hop from Sydney (SYD) to Darwin (DRW) to Singapore (SIN) to Kolkata (CCU).

But while the old route concluded with a journey through Karachi (KHI), Cairo (CAI), and Tripoli (TIP), today’s passengers will reach London (LHR) by winding through Colombo, Sri Lanka (CMB), Cairo, Rome (FCO), and Toulouse (TLS).

Photo: Kangaroo Route by Qantas. Courtesy of greatcirclemap.com / Markus Englund

The original Kangaroo Route was flown by a Lockheed Super Constellation, carrying 29 passengers. A specially-chartered Qantas Airbus A330-300 will operate the recreated journey.

Traveling in Comfort

The plane has 28 lie-flat business class seats, all already sold out, and 269 economy class seats. However, the tour operator is only selling 150 of those economy seats, blocking off almost all middle seats to give travelers more room.

Photo: Airbus A330-300, Business Class. Courtesy of Qantas

Seat assignments in the cabin will also be rotated, so all travelers are guaranteed window seats on some legs of their journey.

Photo: Airbus A330-300, Economy Class. Courtesy of Qantas

Regardless of where travelers are seated in the plane, they’ll receive business class-quality catering in the air.

Nostalgic Touches Along the Journey

But despite all the modern luxuries, tour operators understand the nostalgic pull of the Kangaroo Route and have packed the itinerary with callbacks to the original route, with help from historical experts.

Photo: Courtesy of Qantas

Captain’s Choice’s Bosschieter promised retro merchandise, stories from former Qantas pilots and from passengers who traveled on the original Kangaroo Route, and perhaps even a retired Super Constellation at the welcome dinner in Sydney.

Captain’s Choice has also arranged exclusive experiences for guests along their journey to immerse them in the culture and history of each destination.

Rome / Photo: Courtesy of Caroline Brundle Bugge/Getty Images

Travelers can customize their itinerary to suit their own interests, but highlights include dinner at the Sri Lankan Prime Minister’s mansion in Colombo, an after-hours tour of the Vatican Museum in Rome, and special access to the Sphinx at Giza.

Engaging Activities for Aviation Enthusiasts

There’s plenty to enjoy for aviation enthusiasts, including a trip to a historic Qantas hangar in Darwin, visits to aviation museums in Singapore and Sri Lanka, a tour of an Airbus factory in Toulouse, and a farewell dinner in London under the wings of an iconic Concorde 101.

The first Airbus A321XLR on final assembly at the main Airbus factory in Toulouse, France / Photo: Courtesy of Airbus S.A.S./Stefan Kruijer

Bosschieter said: “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 said the company’s first-ever tour, in 1994, through Asia and Africa, took place aboard a chartered Qantas 767.

Pricing and Availability

The trip doesn’t come cheap: tickets start at A$49,950, or around $31,000, per person, and include the flights, hotels, tours, transfers, meals in the air and ground, and tours.

Photo: Airbus A330-300, Business Class. Courtesy of Qantas

But if you have the money and a passion for retro travel, don’t wait. This tour is only offered once, between February 3rd and 17th, 2026.

Future of Travel: Project Sunrise

Want to travel from Australia to London far quicker? That’s in the works at Qantas, too, with its Project Sunrise finally on the horizon for 2026.

The long-planned project will introduce the world’s longest commercial non-stop flights, from Sydney to London and New York (JFK), on specifically configured Airbus A350-1000s.

First Class cabin on the upcoming Qantas Project Sunrise Airbus A350-1000 / Photo: Courtesy of Qantas

The launch of the flights follows years of planning and high-tech testing by Qantas to prove that crew members and passengers could cope with flight times of up to 22 hours. During the trial flights, pilots wore brainwave monitors and, were filmed to measure their alertness, and had levels of the sleep-regulating hormone melatonin checked.

Qantas has also pioneered new ways to help passengers adjust their circadian rhythms during long flights, including unique cabin lighting and meals with chili and chocolate.

But while the Project Sunrise flights are cutting edge, they’re also looking back to the 1940s and its aviation heritage. The project takes its name from the endurance flights made by pilots from Perth to Sri Lanka during World World II – a secret, dangerous journey so long the pilots saw two sunrises.