All articles tagged with #a350 1000ulr
An Airbus A350-1000ULR built for Qantas completed a 24-hour nonstop test flight between Melbourne and Toulouse, validating the viability of Qantas’ Project Sunrise ultra-long-haul routes to New York or London and signaling commercial service could begin in 2027.
Airbus and Qantas are pursuing 10,000-nautical-mile nonstop flights using the A350-1000ULR, adding a 20,000-liter fuel tank and a higher takeoff weight to enable ~22-hour routes such as Sydney–New York and London–Sydney; a first test flight occurred in June 2026 near Toulouse, with commercial service targeted for 2027, featuring a 238-seat cabin (140 economy, 40 premium economy, 52 business, 6 first-class) and a Wellbeing Zone for long-haul comfort.
Qantas has confirmed Sydney to London as the first route for its Project Sunrise, planning the world’s longest non-stop passenger flight (over 16,000 km) with 19–22 hour durations, using specially modified Airbus A350-1000ULR aircraft. Twelve such planes will be delivered, with the route launching in October 2027 and Sydney–New York expected to follow later.
Qantas’s plan for the Sydney–London Project Sunrise ultra-long-haul flights on the Airbus A350-1000ULR included a promised 33″ economy pitch, but the airline has backtracked. Instead of a uniform 33″ seat, the cabin will feature a mix of 32″, 33″, and 34″ pitches, with an economy-plus section at 34″ achieved by shrinking the back of the economy to 32″. The move preserves some space benefits but undermines the original promise of universal 33″ legroom, prompting criticism of the airline’s hype versus delivery on the world’s longest flight.
Qantas is reshaping its Sunrise plan: six Airbus A350-1000ULRs will be used for ultra-long-haul Sydney–London and Sydney–New York, while the other six will replace Boeing 787-9s on existing routes to diversify the network, effectively sidelining Melbourne from the ULR strategy.