Qantas celebrates 75 years of flying boats

Qantas is this week celebrating the 75th anniversary of its first Short Empire flying boat services to Singapore, which took off from Sydney's first international airport at Rose Bay on 04 August 1938 and landed in Singapore's Kallang Airport.

The journey on Qantas' Short Empire flying boats took three days and involved overnight stops in Townsville, Darwin and Surabaya. Each flight offered up to 15 passengers seated in saloon-style comfort of the Short Empire. The Short Empire flying boat service was replaced by the long-range Catalina flying boat in 1943.

Qantas International Executive, Narendra Kumar, said the three-quarters of a century milestone highlighted Qantas' long standing commitment to Singapore, which continues today.

"Qantas is proud of its history in Singapore. We have serviced the region for over 75 years and it continues to be a key market for the Qantas Group," said Mr Kumar.