Qantas prepares Sydney-London non-stop flight after Airbus record

An Airbus A350-1000ULR has broken the Guinness World Record for the longest commercial flight. The test aircraft covered 23,155.6 kilometres, or 12,503 nautical miles, in 24 hours and 24 minutes.

The flight took off from Melbourne Tullamarine Airport at 5:27 pm on July 27. Designated AIB35LR, it landed in Toulouse, France, after a journey across three continents and two oceans. The route passed over Sydney Airport, the Pacific Ocean, North America, the Atlantic Ocean, and London Heathrow. The flight attracted close to 4 million real-time followers on Flightradar24.

Guinness World Records certified the achievement. Validation used Flightradar24 ADS-B data and testimony from the International Aeronautical Federation. Thirteen people were on board. They included three Airbus flight test pilots, two Qantas pilots, five Airbus flight test engineers, two Airbus design engineers, and one International Aeronautical Federation representative.

Qantas Project Sunset preparations

The record flight was a key part of Qantas' Project Sunset. The Australian airline plans to use the A350-1000ULR for ultra-long-haul routes.

Qantas has ordered 12 of these aircraft. The first delivery is scheduled for April 2027. Commercial service is set to begin that October. The airline will launch non-stop flights from Sydney to London Heathrow and Sydney to New York JFK. The Sydney-London service will operate as flights QF1 and QF2.

Tickets for the new non-stop flights will go on sale in February. Other potential future destinations include Paris.

Aircraft specifications and operations

The A350-1000ULR is modified for extreme range. It features an additional rear centre fuel tank holding 20,000 litres. This extends its range by 1,000 nautical miles, enabling a total range of 16,000 kilometres and an endurance of 22 hours.

The cabin is configured for long-haul comfort with dedicated crew rest areas. It includes eight private bunks at the rear for cabin crew. The passenger cabin layout is as follows:

Operations will involve four pilots on these marathon routes, with two on duty at any time. Qantas has developed a fatigue mitigation program in collaboration with Australian aviation regulators.

Flight crew and validation

The successful record flight paves the way for certification and delivery. Airbus stated the performance was the icing on the cake for the test campaign. The aircraft used a specially designed fuel tank provided by Rolls-Royce. It flew over the company's Derby facility in the UK during its journey.

This achievement surpasses the current longest passenger flight, Singapore Airlines' Singapore-New York service, which lasts over 18 hours. The completed test enables Qantas to operate non-stop flights between Sydney and London and Sydney and New York for the first time ever.

Qantas will launch its non-stop Sydney-London service as QF1 and QF2 in October 2027.