22 hours, one nonstop flight: Qantas’ Sydney-London dream nears take-off
Qantas’ Project Sunrise has cleared a major hurdle as Airbus completes the first flight of its A350-1000ULR, designed to connect Sydney with London and New York nonstop
Qantas’ long-awaited Project Sunrise, a plan that could transform ultra-long-haul air travel, has reached a major milestone. After nearly a decade of planning and development, the project is beginning to move from concept to reality, pointing towards a future in which passengers could fly nonstop from Australia’s east coast to destinations such as London and New York.
This week, that vision moved a step closer as Airbus completed the maiden flight of its specially developed A350-1000ULR aircraft, marking the beginning of the certification process for what could become the world’s longest scheduled passenger services.
First step towards launch
Airbus said the first A350-1000ULR successfully completed its maiden flight from Toulouse-Blagnac Airport in France. The aircraft stayed airborne for three hours and 43 minutes, climbed to an altitude of more than 41,000 feet, and was flown by a dedicated Airbus test crew.
According to Airbus, the aircraft was fitted with specialised flight-test equipment and underwent a series of initial performance assessments during the flight. Engineers also evaluated the aircraft's fuel system architecture, a crucial component for enabling ultra-long-range operations.
The flight marks the start of a two-month certification programme during which Airbus will assess performance, efficiency and onboard systems required for flights lasting as long as 22 hours.
The A350-1000ULR has been developed specifically for Qantas as part of its Project Sunrise programme. Its objective is to operate the world's longest nonstop commercial flights connecting Sydney directly with London and New York.
Covering close to 10,000 nautical miles (around 17,000 kilometres), these services are expected to take up to 22 hours, removing the need for stopovers that have traditionally been unavoidable on such routes. By completely removing the layout bottlenecks, Project Sunrise will systematically cut up to 4 hours off existing travel times to both global hubs.
Qantas Project Sunrise: Proposed nonstop routes to London and New York, with Cape Town and Rio de Janeiro identified as potential future destinations.
A key innovation behind this capability is an additional rear centre fuel tank (RCT) integrated into the aircraft's structure. The modification increases range by about 1,000 nautical miles, enabling the aircraft to exceed current long-haul boundaries.
Comfort remains key focus
Beyond range, Airbus is also evaluating systems intended to improve passenger comfort on ultra-long-haul flights. These include a more efficient galley air-cooling system designed for extended operations, as well as enhanced cabin ventilation and temperature-control systems.
The configuration of the aircraft is intentionally spacious, featuring the lowest overall seat count of any A350-1000 in service globally to give passengers more physical room. Premium cabins make up more than 40% of the entire aircraft. Even the Premium Economy and regular Economy cabins feature significantly enhanced space, boasting larger seat pitches, ergonomically cradling rests, and individual entertainment screens paired with fast, free Wi-Fi and Bluetooth audio connectivity across all zones.
These features will be closely monitored throughout the testing programme, as maintaining passenger comfort during flights that last almost an entire day remains a unique challenge for both airlines and manufacturers.
Certification process now begins
Once the flight-test programme is completed, the aircraft – currently identified as MSN 707 – will be modified to meet Qantas’ commercial requirements before entering service.
Qantas has ordered 12 A350-1000ULR aircraft under Project Sunrise, in addition to 12 standard A350-1000 aircraft for its wider long-haul network.
Vision moves closer today
Project Sunrise was first unveiled in 2017 and has long been regarded as one of the most ambitious projects in commercial aviation. For years, regularly scheduled nonstop flights linking Australia directly with Europe or North America were considered the final frontier of long-haul travel.
The maiden flight of the A350-1000ULR represents the clearest sign yet that the concept is moving steadily towards becoming a reality.
Setting new aviation records
If introduced as planned, the Sydney-London route will become the world's longest scheduled passenger flight, covering about 10,573 miles (17,016 kilometres).
That would surpass the current record held by Xiamen Air's service between New York's JFK Airport and Fuzhou in China, a route that spends roughly 19 hours and 20 minutes in the air.