The kangaroo route is a term that refers to air routes that are flown between Australia and the United Kingdom via the Eastern Hemisphere. The phrase 'kangaroo route' comes from the way in which the journey is normally achieved, usually in hops.
In 1947 the first kangaroo flight took place between Sydney and London, this route included multiple stops in Darwin, Singapore, Calcutta, Karachi, Cairo and Tripoli. Alternative routes also stopped in places such as Frankfurt, Athens, Rome and Bombay.
In 2018 the kangaroo route consisted of just one stop between Sydney and London, in Singapore. This was due to the strong demand in the Asian market.
Fast forward to 2022 and the kangaroo route has now become a non-stop flight between Australia and the UK, taking between 22 and 26 hours.
Previously, there were over 20 airlines that flew the kangaroo route, including Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Malaysia Airlines and more.
Qantas were the very first airline to fly the kangaroo route on board a Lockheed Constellation. They continued to be one of the leading airlines to fly the route and even trademarked the name 'kangaroo route'.
British Airways is the second carrier to offer its passengers a kangaroo flight, and in March 2022, resumed its flights to and from Australia following the Covid-19 pandemic.
In early 2027, Qantas’ Project Sunrise is set to stretch the iconic Kangaroo Route even further, with plans for a non-stop Sydney–London service in a single hop — and if it launches as planned, it’ll take the crown as the world’s longest non-stop commercial flight.
Yes, with Alternative Airlines you can! No need to stress about finding your full airfare straight away, book your kangaroo route flights with Alternative Airlines and make use of our buy now, pay later options. What's more, you can book your flights in over 160 different currencies, giving you even greater flexibility.
We offer loads of finance options wherever you are in the world. These include Zip, Klarna, Affirm and more.
Yes, you can book flights on the kangaroo route with Alternative Airlines. Simply use the search bar at the top of this page and search for flights between Australia and the UK. Look through the search results to see the airline that is flying the route and the number of stops along the route.
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Airfares for the kangaroo route often start at £780 GBP to anything up to and over £3,000 depending on the cabin class and time of year.
Alternative Airlines offer plenty of buy now, pay later options for you to spread the cost of your flights across a longer period of time. Take a look at all our finance options here.
