Qantas non-stop flights from Melbourne to Dallas launching in December 2022

Qantas will fly non-stop between Melbourne and Dallas from December this year, a long-haul US flight that will take more than 17 hours on return.

The airline will operate four flights a week on the route using a Boeing 787 Dreamliner from December 2. It's the first time any airline has flown the route.

The flights will take 15 hours, 45 minutes outbound and 17 hours, 25 minutes on return, making them slightly longer than Dallas flights from Sydney, which take about 14 and a half hours outbound and about 16 hours, 20 minutes on return. Inbound flights from the US to Australia normally take longer than outbound flights due to prevailing winds.

Qantas launched non-stop flights between Sydney and Dallas back in 2011, originally flying 747 jumbo jets before switching to Airbus A380 superjumbos on the route in 2014. For a time, the 13,800 kilometre long-haul was the longest commercial flight in the world. The Melbourne-Dallas route will be even longer, at 14,472 kilometres, making it the fourth longest route in the world. The world's longest regular route is currently Singapore Airlines' Singapore-New York non-stop flight, which clocks up 15,349 kilometres.

Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport is one of the busiest in the world. As a result it offers a wide range of connections to other cities for travellers transiting through the hub.

"As well as being a destination in its own right, Dallas Fort Worth is one of the biggest hub airports in the United States and is located less than a four-hour flight from every major US city," said Qantas group chief customer officer Stephanie Tully.

Ms Tully said Melburnians were keen to travel overseas again and inbound tourism was starting to pick up.

"No city in the world did it tougher during COVID than Melbourne, but no city is bouncing back as quickly," she said.

"We are seeing really strong demand from Melburnians wanting to travel overseas for a holiday or business trip after two years at home, while inbound tourism is starting to pick up. Flights to the United States are particularly strong with Los Angeles bookings now exceeding pre-COVID levels."