Flying non-stop from Sydney to London or New York sounds simple enough, but it means keeping a widebody airborne for up to 22 hours. Qantas reckons only one aircraft can do it: a heavily modified Airbus A350-1000ULR, and the first one has already rolled out of the factory in Toulouse wearing registration F-WZNK.
The trick starts with fuel. Qantas and Airbus have added a 20,000-litre tank at the rear of the aircraft, then raised its maximum takeoff weight through structural reinforcement, stronger landing gear and fuel-balancing systems so the jet can actually lift off with all that kerosene on board. Power comes from two Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 engines, the most powerful ever fitted to an Airbus — 97,000 lbf of thrust each, yet burning roughly 25% less fuel than the previous engine generation.
The trade-off is seats. A typical A350-1000 carries up to 372 passengers in three classes; Qantas' Project Sunrise version will carry just 238. That cuts weight, leaves room for fuel, and makes an ultra-long day in the air tolerable. It also shifts the economics: fewer seats to fill, with a bet on premium travellers willing to pay well to skip a stopover. Cabins have been designed with David Caon, including a lighting programme tuned to mood and sleep rhythms to soften jetlag.
Crewing is its own puzzle. Extra fuel and upgraded rest zones for pilots and cabin crew eat into the weight budget further, turnaround times will run longer, and operational planning is trickier — though the jet's huge range lets it route around congested airspace and bad weather.
The timeline: the first airframe was completed in November 2025, Qantas expects delivery by the end of this year, and services should start in the first half of 2027 — March 2027 is the likely bet. At least three aircraft will be needed to sustain daily flights, so don't expect a rapid rollout.
There's a preview of what these flights will feel like. Singapore Airlines has flown A350-900ULRs on the world's longest routes since October 2018, including Singapore to Newark at around 18 hours 45 minutes. Those jets swap economy for a business and premium economy layout and squeeze range out of a modified fuel system in the wing box — a similar premium-heavy playbook to Qantas'.
For travellers, this changes the map. Sydney to London in one hop removes the pain of a Singapore, Dubai or Doha transit, at a price and in a cabin built for endurance rather than volume. If you're after the novelty of one of the longest flights ever flown — or simply the fastest way between Australia and Europe — Project Sunrise will be the ticket to watch for in 2027.
