The Airbus A350-1000ULR that Qantas has ordered for its Project Sunrise flights has set a world distance record for a commercial aircraft during a test flight, flying farther than any commercial plane before it. Airbus hasn't published the exact figures, but the point of the exercise was to prove the jet has the range to link Australia's east coast directly with London and New York — and it clearly does.
The aircraft is an extended-range version of the A350-1000 with an extra fuel tank bolted in, and Qantas is the launch customer. According to Airbus, this record run is one of the last validation steps before the type is certified for paying passengers, which puts the programme on the final approach to reality.
Project Sunrise is the umbrella name for Qantas' plan to erase the stopover from the longest routes in aviation. Instead of transiting through Singapore, Dubai or Doha, travellers would board in Sydney or Melbourne and step off in London or New York. Once running, these are expected to become the longest scheduled passenger flights in the world.
One firm date has emerged: tickets for the first non-stop Sydney-London flights are scheduled to go on sale in February 2027. Beyond that, Qantas hasn't yet confirmed exact first-flight dates or published a full launch schedule, so there's still some waiting to do. The UK is one of the biggest outbound destinations for Australian travellers, and the US East Coast — New York especially — is the other flagship route the aircraft's range unlocks.
Why should a traveller care? Because this changes the shape of the trip entirely. A Sydney-London non-stop saves a full transit stop, hours of connection time and the hotel-night-in-Dubai math. For anyone who's endured the 24-plus-hour journey to Britain through a Middle Eastern hub, the appeal is obvious — even if ultra-long-haul flying in a metal tube for 20 hours straight isn't for everyone. Expect premium cabins and corporate travellers to snap up the early seats, with sale fares in February 2027 the moment to watch whether this becomes genuinely accessible or stays a luxury proposition.
For now, the record flight is a signal, not a boarding pass: the plane that makes it possible has cleared its final technical hurdles, and the commercial countdown has begun. Source: Karryon.
