Key facts
- Airbus completed a 24-hour, 24-minute test flight of an A350-1000ULR.
- The flight covered 23,075 km from Melbourne, Australia, to Toulouse, France.
- The flight was the second-most-tracked on Flightradar24, attracting over 3.6 million viewers.
- Qantas plans to use the aircraft for nonstop Sydney-London and Sydney-New York routes starting in 2027.
- The first A350-1000ULR is scheduled for delivery in April 2027.
Airbus has successfully completed a marathon test flight of its A350-1000ULR aircraft, flying nonstop for 24 hours and 24 minutes from Melbourne, Australia, to Toulouse, France. The flight covered a distance of 23,075 km (14,338 miles) and marks a significant step for Qantas' Project Sunrise, which aims to introduce the world's longest commercial passenger services.
The specially adapted airliner, designed with an extra fuel tank, is slated to debut on Qantas' Sydney-London route from 2027. The airline has ordered 12 of these aircraft, intended to connect Australia's east coast with London and New York in approximately 20 hours, transforming the journey from a multi-day trip into a single flight.
This test flight garnered substantial public attention, becoming the second-most-tracked flight ever on Flightradar24 with over 3.6 million people following its progress. The previous record for a nonstop flight of this nature was set in 2005 by a Boeing 777-200LR, which flew from Hong Kong to London in 22 hours and 42 minutes.
The first A350-1000ULR is expected to be delivered to Qantas in April 2027, with daily nonstop flights between Sydney and London anticipated to commence in October 2027. The aircraft will have a capacity of 238 passengers and carry 20,000 litres of fuel.