Australian airline Qantas is celebrating its 100th anniversary on Monday, November 16.
Starting off in 1920 as the Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services, the airline eventually became known by the acronym QANTAS.
The airline hoped to connect parts of the vast continent to each other and give greater access to rural Australia.
Starting off with its first aircraft the Avro 504, the airline eventually evolved, taking its first international flight to Singapore in 1935.
The iconic kangaroo image was first placed on its planes in 1944.
‘Around the world, Qantas is probably best known for its safety record, endurance flying and long list of aviation firsts. But for Australians, there’s nothing quite like seeing the flying kangaroo at the airport, waiting to take you home,’ the airline’s CEO, Alan Joyce, said in a press statement.
Flying from such a remote part of the world requires innovation and Qantas stepped up to the challenge.
Qantas is the pioneer of many aviation firsts.
Qantas was the first to create a Business Class cabin in 1979, the first to invent the slide raft used for safety in aircrafts today and innovate fuel-efficiency for long-haul routes.
To celebrate 100 years, Qantas has unveiled a special livery which it is featuring on its new 787 Dreamliner, Longreach.
Qantas’ special 100th anniversary livery 787 departing Melbourne. Qantas turns 100 years old today. https://t.co/hjowmlg285 © Wanping Chen pic.twitter.com/yQgzS3eggQ
— JetPhotos (@JetPhotos) November 16, 2020
The livery represents the airlines past and future with the number of years the airline has been operating and all the logos used over this time.
Picture: Qantas
