Cast from the top rated American comedy series Modern Family have arrived in Australia ahead of filming for the show’s highly-anticipated “Australia” vacation episode, which is expected to deliver a huge boost to local tourism.

It’s the first time the show has filmed an episode outside of the US in its five seasons of production.

A Qantas A380, renamed the Modern Family Flyer, touched down at Sydney International Airport this morning with the celebrity cast, the majority of whom are visiting Australia for the first time.

Qantas Airways and Twentieth Century Fox Television announced the partnership to bring the award-winning show to Australia last month, with the show’s writers spending the past few weeks putting the finishing touches on the script which will highlight all things Australian. Filming is set to take place across a range of iconic locations.

Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said he was delighted to welcome the Modern Family and Twentieth Century Fox Television team to Australia in a partnership that will generate priceless destination awareness globally.

“As the national carrier, Qantas is proud to be part of an opportunity to showcase Australia’s uniqueness as a destination on a global stage,” Mr Joyce said.

“This exposure will no doubt make Australia top of mind for Americans and other potential visitors, looking to plan their own family vacation.”

Across all platforms and in syndication, over 25 million Americans will watch the “Australia” episode when it airs later this year and more than 100 million people will view it globally when it screens in other countries (including  Spain, India, the Philippines and the United Kingdom).

Qantas is the biggest private investor in Australian tourism, with deals worth a total of $72 million in joint funding with states and territories. Last year, Qantas helped to bring the Ellen DeGeneres Show to Australia in a move that saw a 22 per cent increase in inbound flights to New South Wales alone, as well as an overall boost in destination awareness for Australia. The exposure from the Modern Family vacation episode is expected to entice a new wave of visitors to visit Australian shores.

Modern Family is one of the largest critical and commercial hits of the past decade.  The recipient of four consecutive Emmy Awards for Outstanding Comedy Series and a Golden Globe Award for Best Comedy Television Series, Modern Family is both Channel 10 and the ABC Television Network’s top-rated comedy series.

The entire Modern Family cast, includes, Ed O’Neill (Jay), Julie Bowen (Claire), Ty Burrell (Phil), Sofía Vergara (Gloria), Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Mitchell), Eric Stonestreet (Cameron), Sarah Hyland (Haley), Nolan Gould (Luke), Ariel Winter (Alex), Rico Rodriguez (Manny) and Aubrey Anderson-Emmons (Lily).

The series is produced by Twentieth Century Fox Television in association with Picador Productions and Steven Levitan Prods. Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd are the creators/executive producers. Danny Zuker, Dan O’Shannon, Bill Wrubel, Paul Corrigan, Brad Walsh, Abraham Higginbotham, Jeffrey Richman and Jeff Morton also serve as executive producers.