Qantas marks 50 years of the jet age

Qantas has marked 50 years since it operated the world's first commercial passenger jet service across the Pacific.

Flight EM774, the first to be operated by Qantas' new Boeing 707 aircraft, departed Sydney Airport at 3.35pm on 29 July 1959, bound for San Francisco, via Nadi and Honolulu.

Qantas Chief Executive Officer, Mr Alan Joyce, said the anniversary was a timely reminder of the airline's longevity on the Australia-US route.

"Qantas has a proud history on the Pacific route, having flown uninterrupted between Australia and the United States for 55 years," Mr Joyce said.

"It's a long and challenging route. Other airlines have come and gone, but our commitment to providing air links between the two countries has never wavered.

"Today we remain the largest carrier on the Pacific, operating 43 return services every week from eastern Australia and from Auckland to the US cities of Honolulu, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco and offering an extended network of 36 destinations across the USA available through our network partners American Airlines and Alaska Airlines."

Mr Joyce said Qantas had always been an early adopter of new aircraft technologies - as the first non-US airline to operate B707 jet aircraft 50 years ago, having invented the Business Class cabin in 1979 and, most recently, as a lead buyer of the new generation Airbus A380 and Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

"Qantas has always looked to the future and sought to innovate," he said.

"Just as 50 years ago we made history and revolutionised the way Australians travelled to other continents, today we continue to embrace new aircraft technologies that drive further enhancements in safety, environmental performance and customer comfort.

"We're proud of our standing as the world's most experienced airline and we're working hard to be the safest, most punctual and customer-driven carrier anywhere in the world."