A report in The Australian by Aviation Writer Steve Creedy, says that entrepreneur Richard Branson has vowed that Virgin Atlantic will be the first airline to fly non-stop between Australia and Britain when it takes delivery of new Boeing 787 airliners in 2011.

Sir Richard made the vow to launch ultra-long-haul flights to Perth, and later to Sydney and Melbourne, on Tuesday as he announced an order for 15 787-9s, with options and purchase rights on 28 more.

But he will either need to offload a significant number of passengers or hope for a powerful tailwind if he intends to make the trip with the 787-9s now on offer.

According to aviation commentator Geoff Thomas, co-author of Boeing 787 Dreamliner - Flying Redefined, the planes as currently designed do not have the range, adding, "It'll certainly do Perth non-stop - although going back the other way would be marginal - but it won't do Sydney".

He said, "The only aeroplane that will do Sydney is the Boeing 777-200LR."

Qantas, which has also bought the 787-9 and looked at buying the 777-200LR, has closely examined the economics of both as its searches for a so-called "hub-buster" aircraft.

It looked at possibilities for non-stop flights, including an all-business-class model, but in late 2005 shelved its plans because it could not find a way to run an economical service.

Qantas is one of the world's biggest customers for 787s with 45 already on order, and there are indications it could convert as many as 20 options in the near future.

The flying kangaroo also has purchase rights on a further 50 planes and plans to use the 787-9 on non-stop services to the US and probably one-stop services to Europe.

Mr Thomas said Virgin Atlantic could only contemplate a non-stop run between London and Australia's east coast was if Boeing was planning an upgrade to 787-9 performance no-one yet knew about, adding, "The spec at the moment is Perth yes, Sydney no, unless they've got some sort of spec up their sleeve that they haven't announced".

The 787 has been the most successful launch of an aircraft in aviation history, and promises to use up to 30 per cent less fuel per seat than some conventional jets, achieving the savings through more efficient engines and aerodynamics as well by replacing metal components with lighter composite materials.

Report by The Mole