Qantas has put dates on its long-promised nonstop flight between Sydney and New York: tickets go on sale in August 2027, with the first flights departing mid-2028. It's the second route under the airline's 'Project Sunrise' programme, following Sydney–London Heathrow, and it will finally remove the Auckland stop from today's one-stop schedule.
The case for the route is straightforward. Qantas says demand between Australia and New York has nearly doubled since 2023, and the share of travellers saying they'd book a nonstop has climbed from 58% to 70% this year, hitting 80% among premium flyers. Today's daily service via Auckland takes 21 hours 10 minutes eastbound and 23 hours westbound; the direct flight is advertised as saving more than three hours each way.
The flights will be operated by Airbus A350-1000ULRs fitted with an extra 20,000-litre fuel tank, enabling flights of up to 22 hours. Crucially for anyone dreading that long in a seat, the aircraft are being configured well below standard density: 238 passengers instead of the typical 369. The split is six first-class suites, 52 business seats, 40 premium economy and 140 economy — with economy kept to a generous 2-4-2-style layout rather than the crush you'd find elsewhere. There's also a first-of-its-kind 'Wellbeing Zone' on board, designed to help passengers stretch, move and cope with crossing multiple time zones in one hit.
By the time the 12th A350-1000ULR is delivered, Qantas plans to have trained more than 360 pilots and 1,200 cabin crew for the Project Sunrise fleet. CEO Vanessa Hudson called the New York route the completion of a vision the airline set out years ago.
There's some history here too: Qantas first reached New York in 1958, when that meant layovers in Fiji, Honolulu and San Francisco. Nearly seven decades later, the same journey becomes a single hop.
For travellers, the practical upshot is a booking window to watch. If you've got a 2028 trip to the US East Coast in mind, fares go live in August 2027, and ultra-long-haul premium cabins on a flagship new route tend to sell early — especially with only six first and 52 business seats per plane. Leisure flyers who'd rather not pay for business can still expect a noticeably roomier economy than on most long-haul aircraft, plus the ability to reach New York without a mid-Itinerary stop in New Zealand. Anyone planning a round-the-world or multi-city trip can also pair it with the Sydney–London nonstop, making it possible to loop both hemispheres without a single connection.
