The city where an air taxi will take you from the airport to the center
The flight that made history and lasted 24 hours. London is on the way to bypassing airport traffic jams. Meanwhile, El Al says goodbye to Lior Suchard. Three events that happened this week in the aviation industry.
1. The event that no aviation enthusiast missed
History in the aviation world: the new Airbus A350-1000ULR aircraft of the Australian airline Qantas landed this week in Toulouse, France, after a flight that lasted 24 hours and 24 minutes and covered more than 23,000 kilometers—the longest commercial flight to date. The previous record stood at 22 hours and 42 minutes, set in 2005 when a Boeing 777-200LR flew from Hong Kong to London.
The flight attracted the attention of aviation enthusiasts worldwide. According to data from the flight tracking platform Flightradar24, it was the second most-watched flight in the platform's history, with more than 3.6 million people tracking the plane's progress from Melbourne to Toulouse. The most-watched flight remains the 2022 journey transporting the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II to the UK.
The aircraft was developed specifically for Qantas's Sunrise project, which aims to operate direct flights from Sydney to London. The project has faced several delays in recent years, but the company continues preparations for a launch in October 2027. The new model features only 238 seats, compared to 300 in standard A350-1000 models. This reduction is intended to provide space for additional fuel tanks and offer passengers greater comfort on long-haul flights.
2. Eight minutes from the airport to the center: air taxi arrives in London
British airline Virgin Atlantic and Joby Aviation have announced an agreement to bring Joby's electric air taxi service to the UK. This means that passengers will soon be able to travel from a London airport to the city center in just 8 minutes, whereas today the travel time can exceed an hour.
Under the agreement, airline customers will be able to book a ride on a Joby air taxi during the flight booking process. The UK Civil Aviation Authority aims to complete the commercial certification process for electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft by the end of 2028. According to Joby, the service will cost between 100 and 120 pounds from Heathrow Airport to central London, which is comparable to current Uber or standard taxi fares.
3. After 43 million views: El Al says goodbye to Lior Suchard
This week, El Al launched new safety videos featuring Gal Gadot, Rotem Sela, and Deni Avdija. Within the next month, the company will officially retire the safety video that has accompanied it for nearly a decade, starring Lior Suchard. According to the airline, that video was watched approximately 43.7 million times—if played continuously, it would run for about 290 years.
In recent years, airlines have realized that traditional safety videos fail to capture attention, leading to a global trend of incorporating superstars, humor, and cinematic-level production values.
Now, in addition to featuring stars, El Al is integrating artificial intelligence to tailor safety instructions to flight destinations. For example, flights to Paris will feature backgrounds reflecting a French atmosphere, while passengers flying to Los Angeles will receive destination-specific recommendations.
