air traffic
Qantas aims to launch world’s longest non-stop flights by 2025
A Quantas Airlines plane takes off from Melbourne Airport. Photo: Con Chronis/AAP/dpa
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In 19 hours from Australia to London or New York, without a break: With the so-called “Project Sunrise”, Qantas wants to open up new travel options.
The Australian airline Qantas plans to add the longest non-stop flights in the world to its route network by the end of 2025.
The flights are to connect Australian cities on the east coast such as Sydney and Melbourne with London and New York in around 19 hours. The twelve Airbus A350-1000 aircraft ordered for this purpose could also connect other cities such as Frankfurt and Paris directly with destinations Down Under in the future, Qantas announced on Monday.
With the so-called “Project Sunrise” a solution has finally been found for the “tyranny of distance” that has traditionally made travel to Australia so difficult, said airline boss Alan Joyce. The new generation of aircraft types will open up completely different possibilities in the future.
Around 17,700 kilometers long direct connection
Qantas had already tested the approximately 17,700-kilometer direct connection from London to Sydney at the end of 2019 with a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. The flight lasted 19 hours and 19 minutes. The route was actually supposed to be included in the program as early as 2022, but the plan had to be postponed due to the corona pandemic and the long border closures.
Singapore Airlines currently offers the longest non-stop scheduled flight: it has been connecting Singapore with New York since 2018. The machines cover the 15,300-kilometer route in just under 18 hours.
Qantas will carry 238 passengers in four classes (First, Business, Premium Economy, Economy) with the Airbus A350-1000, it said. “The cabin is specifically configured for enhanced comfort on long flights, and includes a center comfort area and more spacious seating in Premium Economy and Economy cabins,” said Qantas.
In addition to the twelve Airbus A350-1000 aircraft, Qantas is also ordering 20 Airbus A220 aircraft and the smallest long-haul aircraft, the A321XLR. These aircraft will replace Qantas’ aging fleet of Boeing 717 and 737 aircraft. The Australians have also secured purchase rights for 94 additional jets from the A220 and A320 model families.