- Qantas will run non-stop flights between Sydney and London
- The long haul plane will undergo its first test flight in July
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Qantas‘ new ultra-long range jet is set to conduct a 17,00km test flight from Toulouse, France, to Melbourne by next week.
Plane manufacturer Airbus is set to give Qantas its first A350-1000ULR in April next year with the aircraft capable of a record-breaking 22-hour flight duration while carrying a full payload.
Qantas plans to use the new plane to run a 20-hour non-stop route between Sydney and London.
The airline’s first flight on the route, under Project Sunrise, is set to take off in October 2027.
Airbus is preparing multiple test flights from its factory in Toulouse with the first scheduled for July 24, 2026 – subject to final confirmation, The Australian reported.
Qantas will buy a total of 12 A350-1000ULRs, at a cost of $330million each.
The carrier is expected to launch a non-stop flight between Sydney and New York by the end of 2027.
The current record for the longest commercial passenger flight is held by Singapore Airlines for its 15,349km, 18-hour and 50-minute, flight between New York and Singapore.
Qantas’ first new ultra-long haul jet (above) is set to go on its first test flight on July 24
The planes will be used to run non-stop flights between Australia and the UK and US (pictured is the plane’s interior)
Airbus has been sharing images from inside the new A350-1000ULR (above) since November 2025
Airbus has been sharing images of Qantas’ first A350-1000ULR and its interior since November 2025.
To help passengers survive the ultra-long flight, Qantas has introduced a ‘wellness zone’ – considered to be the first of its kind.
Passengers on the 22-hour journeys will also be encouraged to sample premium self-serve healthy refreshments available throughout the flight – designed to provide optimum hydration at high altitude.
Walls in the wellness zone will be fitted with handles to aid exercises, making it an effective exercise and social space.
Australian designer David Caon, who has worked on the project since 2018, said it had been an ‘honour’ to be involved.
‘We had a team of six people working on it full time for two years – things like aircraft weight, maintainability, safety and comfort all have to be weighed against the aesthetic decisions we make,’ he told Daily Mail.
With regards to making sleeping on board as comfortable as possible, Qantas worked in partnership with the University of Sydney’s Charles Perkins Centre to seek ways of reducing the effects of jet lag.
These have involved customised lighting reflecting the ‘unique quality of light in the Australian Outback’ and timed meal services designed to match circadian rhythms.
Qantas is set to receive the first of the new planes (above) in April 2027
The new jets will feature a range of wellbeing amenities to help passengers through the long flight duration
RBC Capital Markets analyst Owen Birrell said the new routes would give Qantas an ‘unparalleled competitive advantage’ in the global market.
In fact, the airline expects to double the profit from its international operations in the 12 months after introducing the new planes.
‘Over the past two decades, Qantas found it increasingly difficult to compete in international markets with its full service offering against the influx and expansion of low cost and/or state sponsored rivals,’ Mr Birrell said.
‘In response, Qantas turned its focus to point-to-point operations where it could deliver a non-stop option and compete on service quality rather than just price.’
