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Belgian-British teen pilot sets age record for solo flight around world

The youngest person to fly solo in a light aircraft around the globe made history on Wednesday when a Belgian-British adolescent touched down in Bulgaria

The youngest person to fly solo in a light aircraft around the globe made history on Wednesday when a Belgian-British adolescent touched down in Bulgaria, where his epic journey began five months earlier.

While making the journey, Mack Rutherford, who turned 17 at the time, landed on an airstrip west of Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, to accomplish his mission and secure two Guinness World Records. In addition to being the youngest person to fly solo around the world, Rutherford was also the youngest person to fly a microlight aircraft across the world.

Rutherford completed the record-breaking expedition, which started on March 23, by travelling across 52 nations and five continents. He crossed the equator twice in order to establish a Guinness World Record.

Rutherford, who was born into a family of pilots, qualified for his pilot’s license in 2020 at the age of 15, making him the world’s youngest pilot at the time. He travelled from Africa and the Gulf to India, China, South Korea, and Japan on the plane. After ten hours of nonstop flight over the northern Pacific, he touched down on a volcanic island close to the Bering Strait.

At the airport on Wednesday, a huge group of people had gathered to welcome Rutherford and to honour his accomplishments.

Father Sam Rutherford expressed his immense happiness and pride in his kids’ accomplishments. He informed the media that a situation like this inspires kids to pursue their goals and parents to assist them with their endeavors.

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Africa

Qantas to deploy A380s to Africa for the first time

Qantas is making history today as its inaugural Airbus A380 flight takes off for Johannesburg, marking the first time the national carrier has operated the Superjumbo to Africa.

This monumental move means up to six flights per week, nearly doubling the capacity between Australia and Africa, adding an impressive 130,000 seats annually. The qantas A380 is capable of carrying 485 passengers across four luxurious cabins. This deployment marks the return of First Class on this route, a feature not seen since 2018.

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The First Class section offers 14 exclusive suites arranged in a spacious 1-1-1 configuration, each converting into a 212-centimeter bed. Additionally, Premium Economy seats are more than doubling, providing even more options for travelers.

Passengers in First and Business Class can enjoy the upper deck lounge, featuring booth-style seating for 10 people, a self-service bar, and an opportunity to order signature drinks and snacks.

Qantas’ history with South Africa dates back to 1948 when the airline first touched down in Johannesburg with a Lancastrian survey flight from Sydney. The journey evolved over the years, transitioning from 66-hour flights on the Lockheed Constellation L-749A—affectionately known as the “Wallaby Route“—to today’s nonstop journeys across the southern Indian Ocean. This is the first airbus a380 capacity flight operated by any airline over this route, a significant milestone for aviation.

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Looking ahead, Qantas plans to relaunch direct flights from Perth to Johannesburg in mid-2025, pending border agency approvals. Alongside this expansion, Qantas has announced a new codeshare partnership with Johannesburg-based Airlink, which will dramatically extend its reach across South Africa.

This partnership allows seamless travel between Qantas flights to Johannesburg and nine other South African destinations, including Cape Town, Durban, and Hoedspruit, with plans to expand to more destinations in the near future.

Tickets for the A380 flights are now available on the Qantas website and via travel agents, with codeshare connections on Airlink ready for travel from late October 2024. All Qantas international fares come with checked baggage, meals, beverages, and qantas entertainment movie list ensuring a comfortable journey for every passenger.