It'll soon be a hop, skip and a jump for Kiwis to get to Europe via Australia.

Qantas has just taken ownership of its first 787-9 Dreamliner in Seattle.

NZME aviation reporter, Grant Bradley told Rachel Smalley there's already a Qantas summer service between Auckland and Perth.

"They're certainly looking at extending that so they can tap into that New Zealand market more easily."

He said it means people will now be able to fly non-stop from Perth to London with Qantas.

"And they're also looking at others such as Brisbane to Chicago."

LISTEN ABOVE AS GRANT BRADLEY SPEAKS WITH RACHEL SMALLEY