Sold out Qantas 'flight to nowhere' departs from Sydney

Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce said he hopes the flights will "provide inspiration" for future trips when domestic borders begin to ease. Photo / Getty Images

After selling out in minutes, 150 eager passengers have boarded a "flight to nowhere" on board a Qantas plane departing from Sydney.

With many itching to travel but forced to stay grounded due to the pandemic, 150 passengers were lucky enough to board a commercial aircraft for Qantas today – en route to nowhere!

Last month, the Australian airline announced that it will operate a special seven-hour scenic joy flight across the Northern Territory, Queensland and New South Wales to cater for frequent flyer members desperate to experience life at 38,000 feet.

The seven-hour scenic tour departed Sydney at 10.45am on Saturday morning.

Qantas' ‘Great Southern Land’ scenic ‘flight to nowhere’ has just departed Sydney. It will return in approximately 7 hours. https://t.co/R7QrSFW9m8 pic.twitter.com/VXrXALncph

— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) October 9, 2020

The flight path can be viewed in real time on flightradar24.com, search QF787 on the morning of departure. Photo / Flightradar24.com

Dubbed the "Great Southern Land" scenic flight, passengers will board the airline's famed "Emily" Boeing 787 Dreamliner which is normally reserved for international flying.

The unprecedented "flights to nowhere" sold out in record time (within 10 minutes of going on sale).

There were 150 seats listed for $787 for an economy seat, $1787 for Premium and a few business class seats for $3787.

"We knew this flight would be popular, but we didn't expect it to sell out in 10 minutes," a spokesman said.

"It's probably the fastest-selling flight in Qantas history."

The border-free flight is due to touch back down in Sydney after seven hours of soaring over some of the country's most iconic landmarks, including Uluru, Kata Tjuta, the Whitsundays, Gold Coast, Byron Bay and of course Sydney Harbour.

Passengers will also enjoy a specially curated Neil Perry dining menu on board.