Qantas releases first images of jet that will fly nonstop from Sydney to London and New York
By Issy Ronald, CNN
(CNN) — Just 80 years ago, traveling to Sydney or Melbourne from London or New York took more than a week.
Now, a passenger aircraft that can complete make the journey without stopping is in the final stages of construction, Qantas announced on Friday, releasing first images of the plane as it is assembled.
With adaptations like a 20,000-liter rear center fuel tank, the Airbus A350-1000ULR will be able to fly for up to 22 hours straight. Qantas has labeled its plan for ultra-long-range services “Project Sunrise,” because the flights take so long they can encounter two separate dawns.
When commercial flights are scheduled to start in the first half of 2027, they will shave up to four hours off the time it currently takes to reach Australia’s east coast from London or New York.
Although Boeing’s 787-9 Dreamliner can fly 17 hours nonstop to Perth, on Australia’s west coast, reaching the other side of the country has proven to be “aviation’s final frontier,” as Qantas dubbed it in an Instagram post Friday.
The airline has been working on the project since 2017, though it was delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic, which temporarily grounded much of the aviation industry.
In 2022, it ordered 12 of the Airbus A350-1000ULRs for long-haul routes to and from Australia and the first is scheduled to be delivered in October next year.
In its latest update on the project, Qantas revealed new images and footage of the plane, showing the various stages of its assembly at Airbus’ headquarters in Toulouse, France.
First, the aircraft’s fuselage emerged from inside a specialized cargo plane, known as an Airbus Beluga because of its resemblance to beluga whales.
Then, the fuselage was driven into a hangar, where engineers attached the other parts of the plane to it. All the key parts of the aircraft are now assembled, and it will be transported to a new hangar for engines and flight test instruments to be installed, Qantas said.
As well as the groundbreaking flight time, the project aims to “transform how people experience ultra long-haul travel, through science backed design to minimise jetlag and maximise wellbeing,” Qantas CEO Vanessa Hudson said in a statement.
There will only be 238 seats on the aircraft, compared with around 400 seats on other A350-1000s. Instead, there will be space for a “purpose built Wellbeing Zone” between the premium economy and economy cabins, as well as first-class suites.
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