Qantas poised to confirm first non-stop Project Sunrise Sydney service

Qantas is to confirm its first non-stop ultra long-haul route from Sydney to either London or New York later this month.

The airline made the disclosure after the airline’s first aircraft designed to operate the Project Sunrise service completed its maiden test flight.

The Airbus A350-1000ULR [ultra long range] took off for the first time from Toulouse and flew for three hours 43 minutes over France and the Atlantic coast.

Alongside the extensive testing and certification campaign, a second Project Sunrise aircraft is progressing through Airbus’ final assembly line, having its four-class interior fitted and being painted in Qantas livery. This aircraft will be delivered to Qantas in April next year.

Direct flights from Australia’s east coast, originally scheduled to start in the first half of 2027, will cut up to four hours off total travel time, compared with one-stop services today.

The first flight was focused on testing the aircraft’s primary systems including its specialised fuel system, which includes an additional 20,000 litre rear centre fuel tank that will enable commercial flights of up to 22 hours non-stop.

It marks the beginning of a two-month testing campaign, with the aircraft to complete around 80 hours of flying and undergo extensive on-ground checks and certification of new and redesigned components that will enable the A350 to fly ultra long-haul sectors. 

This includes certifying a new galley air cooling system which features lighter and more efficient refrigeration units, which will be introduced across all future A350s.

The airline said: “Qantas’ Project Sunrise Airbus A350-1000ULR has completed its maiden test flight, marking a significant milestone ahead of the launch of commercial flights that will connect Australia’s east coast to London and New York, non-stop, for the first time ever.

“Qantas will announce the first Project Sunrise route and timing of its inaugural commercial services later this month.”

The test flight was operated by two Airbus pilots, three flight test engineers and one ground test engineer.

Qantas has ordered 12 A350-1000ULRs under Project Sunrise, “designed to overcome one of the last frontiers in non-stop travel from Australia”.

The carrier also has 12 standard A350-1000s on order for future operation across its long-haul network.