Today’s announcement comes as the national carrier unveiled its first Airbus A350-1000ULR in Qantas livery at Airbus’ manufacturing facility in Toulouse, the result of years of development to conquer the final frontier of long-haul aviation as part of Project Sunrise.
Qantas has been flying between Sydney and London since 1947, when the original Kangaroo Route took four days with seven stops in Darwin, Singapore, Calcutta, Karachi, Cairo, Castel Benito and Rome, on its way to the UK.
The new non-stop flights will cut up to four hours off the travel time compared to current one-stop services. These historic ultra long-haul services will operate alongside Qantas’ existing Perth-London and Sydney-Singapore-London services. The first Project Sunrise Sydney to London services will go on sale in February 2027.
The A350-1000ULR has been specifically manufactured by Airbus for Project Sunrise, fitted with an additional 20,000-litre fuel tank that enables the aircraft to fly more than 16,000 kilometres, for up to 22 hours non-stop. Qantas will take delivery of 12 aircraft in total, each configured with 238 seats across four cabins.
A second aircraft is moving through its eight-week testing and certification program, having taken flight for the first time earlier this month.
“Qantas was built on the belief that Australia's distance from the rest of the world should never stand in the way. The pioneering spirit of generations of our people has forged that path ever since, and today is the most significant step in that mission in our 105-year history.
“Since we first flew the Kangaroo Route in 1947, where we stopped seven times on the way to London, every generation of aircraft has taken a stop out of the journey. Today, we're taking out the last one.
“We made a commitment in 2017 that Qantas would conquer the final frontier of long-haul aviation and connect Australia's east coast directly to London, something that has never before been possible. From October 2027, that promise becomes reality.”
Australian Minister for Trade and Tourism Senator Don Farrell said:
“Every year millions of people travel between Australia and the United Kingdom to visit family, for holidays or for business, and from 2027 the journey will become more comfortable, quicker and easier.
“This is a significant milestone for aviation and tourism in both Australia and the UK and a demonstration of the strong friendship between our two nations.
“Australia is a world class tourism destination and the new direct route launched by Qantas will help bring more people to our shores to experience the best we have to offer.”
“This is a historic moment, not just for British aviation and tourism, but for the millions of passengers who will experience flying from Sydney to London non-stop for the first time.
“Qantas' decision to make London the first destination for Project Sunrise is a powerful vote of confidence in the UK as a hub for global tourism, and a reflection of the deep ties between our two countries.
“Today marks a new phase of this role, opening up new opportunities for businesses, tourism, and the people who make both possible across Australia and the UK.”
New research shows that Australians' appetite for non-stop, ultra long-haul flying has continued to grow, with intent to book rising from 58 to 70 per cent since February this year. Among premium travellers, that figure reaches 80 per cent, up 12 percentage points over the same period.
Since 2018, more than 1.7 million passengers have flown on Qantas' non-stop long-haul services from Perth to London, Rome and Paris, and its Melbourne to Dallas and Auckland to New York services, with these routes recording the highest customer satisfaction scores on the airline’s international network. Daily non-stop services between Sydney and London from late 2027 will significantly expand travel options for customers across Australia travelling to the UK and Europe.
Ms Hudson said the Project Sunrise experience represents a fundamentally different approach to long-haul travel.
“Eliminating the stopover saves customers up to four hours of travel time. This aircraft has been designed from the ground up for ultra long-haul travel, with a cabin built around science and combatting jetlag, with an onboard experience purpose-built for the length of the journey.”
In preparation for the aircraft’s arrival next year, Qantas pilots have commenced training on Australia’s first A350 simulator in Sydney and with British Airways in the UK. Over the coming months, some of its pilots will also fly with Cathay Pacific in Hong Kong.
Qantas’ current A330 pilots are making up the initial intake of Project Sunrise pilots, with 40 already in the process of training for the A350 alongside their existing A330 flying.
In total, more than 360 Qantas pilots and 1,200 cabin crew will be trained to operate Qantas’ fleet of Project Sunrise aircraft by the time the 12th A350ULR arrives.
On the ground, Qantas engineers have also started classroom training in Sydney and cabin crew will do the same shortly.
Project Sunrise will eventually connect Australia’s east coast with other international destinations, with Sydney-New York confirmed as the next service to follow Sydney-London. Launch timing for these services will be announced next year.
QANTAS
