A Qantas Airbus A350-1000ULR has logged the longest flight ever flown by a commercial airliner: 24 hours and 24 minutes in the air, covering 12,503 nautical miles from Melbourne to Toulouse. The Guinness World Record was validated using aircraft data checked by the International Aeronautical Federation and Flightradar24.

The flight, which departed Melbourne at 5.27pm on 27 July, was no scheduled service — it was a proving run under Qantas' Project Sunrise, the airline's push to connect Australia with Europe and the US east coast without a stop. Thirteen pilots and engineers rode along as the aircraft traced a north-easterly route across the Pacific, over North America and the Atlantic, passing over London before landing in southern France.

Why so much fuss over one test flight? Because it clears the way for the real thing. Qantas plans to launch non-stop Sydney to London flights in October 2027 — a 10,573-mile route that will become the world's longest commercial flight — with Sydney to New York to follow. Both routes will run to roughly 22 hours in the air. Tickets for the first London services go on sale in February 2027.

Airbus built the A350-1000ULR specifically for the mission, extending the standard A350-1000's range so it can fly almost 10,000 nautical miles with a full commercial load. Qantas has ordered 12 of them, with the first due for delivery in April. Airbus commercial aircraft chief Lars Wagner said the record run fully proved the jet can handle the task.

For context on how much things are shifting: the current longest scheduled flight is Singapore Airlines' New York JFK service, which takes about 18 hours to cover 9,537 miles. The Sunrise routes will blow well past that. It's the end of a long quest for Qantas, which has flirted with non-stop London flights since the 1980s — earlier trials used Boeing 787s with a handful of passengers, while these A350s are built for full revenue service.

If you've ever winced at a two-stop slog to Europe via Singapore or Dubai, this changes the maths. You'll trade a connection for one very long haul — the airline will need well-designed cabins, extra crew and a serious pitch for how passengers survive 22 hours in a seat. Expect plenty more detail on lounges, premium economy and wellness zones as the 2027 launch approaches. For now, anyone planning a big Australia-to-Europe trip from late 2027 onwards should watch for those February 2027 ticket sales.