Currently, the longest commercial nonstop flights last about 18 to 19 hours, spanning distances of roughly 7,000 to 9,500 miles. These connect cities like New York with Singapore, London with Perth, and Auckland with New York. Although impressive, certain popular routes remain beyond the reach of nonstop commercial service. Qantas and Airbus are collaborating on Project Sunrise to address this gap with specially designed aircraft.

The initiative draws its name from historic 33-hour nonstop flights operated by Qantas during World War II. Launched in 2017, the project focuses on developing planes capable of flying 10,000 nautical miles nonstop between Sydney and New York or Sydney and London. These journeys are projected to take approximately 22 hours each. Qantas intends to operate both routes eventually but has not specified which will launch first.

Airbus and Qantas conducted the initial test flight of the A350-1000ULR in June 2026 near Toulouse, France. The flight lasted nearly four hours with a minimal crew to gather performance data. Further testing is planned for two months, with commercial operations targeted for April 2027, pending successful results.

Exploring the Latest Ultra-Long-Range Airbus Model

Surprisingly, the aircraft designed for the greatest range is not the largest. The A380 can carry up to 853 passengers, but the Project Sunrise variant is based on the A350-1000, which normally accommodates 480 passengers. For these flights, the configuration reduces seating to 238 for enhanced comfort and to allow more fuel capacity by reducing weight.

The cabin will feature 140 economy seats, 40 premium economy, 52 business class, and six first-class suites. Airbus plans to include a Wellbeing Zone for passengers to move and stretch during the extended flight.

The extended range comes from an additional 20,000-liter fuel tank installed in the rear center fuselage. Modifications also raise the maximum takeoff weight to 322 metric tons from 319, accommodating the extra fuel.

If successful, Project Sunrise will introduce the first nonstop commercial services over these distances, improving convenience for travel to and from Australia.