Passengers flying between Sydney and London or Sydney and New York will soon be able to travel more than 10,000 miles non-stop, as Australia’s national carrier Qantas prepares to launch the longest direct commercial flights ever operated.Part of the airline’s Project Sunrise, the routes are expected to launch in the first half of 2027 using specially configured Airbus A350-1000ULR (Ultra Long Range) aircraft. Each trip is expected to last approximately 22 hours, giving passengers the chance to see the sunrise twice during a single flight as the aircraft effectively chases daylight around the world.The project represents one of the most ambitious efforts yet to reshape long-haul aviation by eliminating traditional refueling stopovers.
22-hour journey designed to replace long distance travel
The new non-stop flights will connect Sydney with London (10,573 miles) and Sydney with New York (10,100 miles), distances that currently require at least one stop to refuel.According to Qantas, removing these stopovers could cut up to four hours from existing journey times, fundamentally changing the way passengers travel between Australia, Europe and North America.Qantas launched Project Sunrise in 2017, which aims to operate direct flights from Australia’s east coast to London and New York.Qantas Group chief executive Vanessa Hudson said the project, announced at a Qantas event in the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) hangar in September 2024, aims to overcome the historical “tyranny of distance” that entails long journeys to and from Australia, “fundamentally changing the way our customers travel around the world”.Hudson continued:“These flights will cut journeys by up to four hours and change the way people experience ultra long-haul travel through science-backed design to minimize jetlag and maximize well-being.”The aircraft selected for the project, the Airbus A350-1000ULR, was chosen by Qantas after placing an order for 12 specially modified aircraft in May 2022.Powered by Rolls-Royce Trent engines and equipped with an additional 20,000-litre fuel tank, the aircraft can travel significantly further than standard versions of the A350.The first of those aircraft are due to be delivered in late 2026, with test flights planned between Australia and New Zealand to allow pilots and crew to become familiar with the aircraft before long-haul operations begin.
Why is it called Project Sunrise?
The name of the program comes from a unique feature of these ultra-long flights.Passengers are expected to witness two sunrises during a single journey, in what aviation enthusiasts say will become a defining experience of the route.The aircraft will depart Sydney late in the evening and head west across Asia and the Middle East. Since the aircraft effectively follows daylight across time zones, passengers will see the sun rise once during the trip and then see it rise again closer to Europe or North America.
The Qantas Airbus A350-1000ULR (Ultra Long Range) aircraft is photographed at Airbus’ headquarters in Toulouse, France./Qantas
The name also reflects aviation history. During World War II, so-called “double sunrise” flights operated between Perth and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). Those endurance missions were so long that the sun rose twice during the journey.
In-plane preview
Daily Mail reporter Paudie Prendergast, who was invited by Qantas to preview aspects of the project, described visiting a mock-up of the cabin’s wellness area and touring the facility where the aircraft would be serviced.He wrote that he was given a “whistlestop tour” of Hangar 96 at the Qantas Jet Base at Sydney’s Kingsford Smith Airport, where the new aircraft will be maintained.Inside the aircraft, the airline is planning a significantly lower passenger density than the standard A350 aircraft.Instead of the usual 300-plus seats, the Project Sunrise layout will carry 238 passengers, arranged as follows:
- 6 First Class suites (1-1-1 configuration)
- 52 business suites (1-2-1 configuration)
- 40 Premium Economy seats (2-4-2 configuration)
- 140 economy seats (3-3-3 configuration)
Qantas Project Sunrise
High-speed Wi-Fi will be provided in all cabins at no extra cost, while the reduced seat count is intended to give passengers more room to move around during the unusually long journey.
A “wellness zone” at 35,000 feet.
One of the most unusual features of the aircraft will be a dedicated wellness zone, designed to help passengers cope with the physical stress of spending almost the entire day in the air.According to Prendergast’s preview, the space will offer self-serve healthy refreshments aimed at maintaining hydration, along with space for stretching and light exercise.Large screens will display guided stretching routines, and the walls will include exercise handles to support movement during flight.Prendergast described the space as “effectively a yoga studio (of sorts) at 35,000 feet, or just a place where people want to socialize.”Aircraft interior designer David Kaon, who has worked on the project since 2018, said daily Mail Balancing aesthetics and engineering constraints was a complex task.He said:“We had a team of six people working full-time on it for two years – things like aircraft weight, handling, safety and comfort had to be weighed against the aesthetic decisions we made.”
Designing a flight that reduces jet lag
Due to the extreme length of the journey, Qantas partnered with the University of Sydney’s Charles Perkins Center to study ways to reduce fatigue and jet lag.The research has influenced many aspects of cabin design, including lighting patterns and meal timing.Lighting systems will replicate “the unique quality of light in the Australian outback”, while food services will be timed to match passengers’ circadian rhythms, helping passengers more easily adjust to new time zones.
From multi-day trips to single flights
The upcoming flights represent a dramatic change from the early days of travel between Australia and Europe.The route between Sydney and London, historically known as the “Kangaroo Route”, once took several days at a time.In the 1940s, passengers traveled in Lockheed Constellation aircraft, stopping in Darwin, Singapore, Calcutta, Karachi, Cairo, Tripoli and Rome along the way, often stopping overnight in Singapore and Cairo.Those early aircraft relied on four propeller engines and had cramped cabins, making the journey long, noisy, and much less comfortable than modern long-distance travel.Still, those flights were once considered technological marvels.Today, a journey that used to take four to five days is soon completed in one day.
The next step in ultra-long-haul aviation
Project Sunrise will surpass the current longest non-stop passenger flight, which runs between Singapore and New York and lasts just over 19 hours.Other extremely long routes exist, such as flights between Shanghai and Buenos Aires, but those journeys involve stops for refuelling.In contrast, the new Qantas services will remain airborne for the entire journey.If successful, they could signal a broader shift toward direct ultra-long-haul travel, potentially reshaping how airlines design aircraft and long-haul routes for years to come.