The Sydney Harbour Bridge has been illuminated, as a larger-than-life birthday cake, with ‘candles’ blown out by a Qantas 787 as it did a low level overfly at 1,500 feet – all in celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the Flying Kangaroo.
More than 1,300 LED tubes, 126 LED fixtures and 38 searchlights lit up the full expanse of the world’s most famous bridge in the ultimate tribute from Sydney, the city which has been home to Qantas for more than eight decades. The projection of 60 historic images and two, 65-metre-high birthday candles onto the southern and northern pylons completed the transformation, creating a birthday moment like no other.
Almost 200 passengers, including 100 Qantas staff, were on board the 100-minute flight which was a special Centenary Scenic Flight to mark the airline’s 100th year. The spectacular candle-blowing lights off moment was a surprise for not just those on the ground, but also those on board the flight which also took in showcased Sydney Harbour, HARS Aviation Museum in Shellharbour and Rose Bay – where Qantas Flying Boats were used in the 1930s and ‘40s.
“Qantas aircraft have been flying over Sydney Harbour Bridge for decades, so this was a spectacular way to mark our anniversary,” said Qantas Group Chief Executive Officer, Alan Joyce. “It’s been a tough year for tourism but as more domestic borders open up, we’re ready to put more aircraft back in the air and bring people to see all that New South Wales has to offer,” he said.
NSW Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney Stuart Ayres described the bridge tribute lighting extravaganza show culminating in the fly over as fitting recognition for one of the world’s longest continuously operating airlines.
“Sydney has benefited immensely from 100 successful years of business for Qantas – from bringing visitors to the state and boosting our visitor economy to providing local jobs,” Minister Ayres said.
“What better way to mark such an important milestone for Qantas than with a celebration in the city it has chosen as its headquarters for the last 82 years involving another much-loved Sydney icon, the Harbour Bridge.”
The activation, executed by Destination NSW, the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency, complements a new campaign of activity designed to support the recovery of Sydney hospitality and tourism businesses.
“Sydney continues to shine as brightly as ever, with tourism businesses steadily reopening and operating in a COVID-safe environment, putting the wellbeing of visitors first,” said Destination NSW Chief Executive Officer, Steve Cox. “This stunt was just the beginning of what will be a truly amazing line-up of events coming up across the city, and we are looking forward to welcoming visitors from across Australia to Sydney this summer.”
