Direct commercial flights between London and Sydney are set to take to the skies for the first time in October 2027, Australian carrier Qantas has confirmed.
Game-Changing New Route
Expected to last up to 22 hours, the "game-changing new route" will become the longest commercial flight on the planet, with tickets anticipated to go on sale from February next year.
The current record-holder for the world's longest commercial flight, according to FlightRadar24, is Singapore Airlines' 15,349km service between New York and Singapore. However, Qantas's Project Sunrise flight will cover the 16,995km distance between London and Sydney without a single stopover.
UK Tourism Minister Comments
UK tourism minister Stephanie Peacock said: "Qantas's 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. 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."
Aircraft and Features
To accomplish this remarkable achievement, Qantas has placed an order for 12 A350-1000ULR aircraft, built by Airbus in Toulouse. Each plane will be fitted out with 238 seats spread across four cabins — First Class, Business, Premium Economy and Economy — and will feature an additional 20,000-litre fuel tank to the A350 that will enable it to fly over 16,000km for up to 22 hours non-stop.
Qantas has announced it will reduce up to four hours from the current one-stop services, and intends for the second Project Sunrise route to link Australia and New York directly, reports the Express. It will operate alongside Qantas's existing Perth-London and Sydney-Singapore-London services.
Qantas's Perth to London Heathrow flight is presently the world's fourth-longest flight, according to FlightRadar24, and is the longest flight operating out of both Britain and Australia.
CEO Statement
Qantas Group chief executive Vanessa Hudson said: "Qantas was built on the belief that Australia's distance from the rest of the world should never stand in the way. 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."
VisitBritain CEO Reaction
VisitBritain chief executive Patricia Yates said: "Huge congratulations to Qantas on the announcement of its historic non-stop service from Sydney to London. Australia is one of our most valuable inbound markets, set to reach £1.8 billion this year in visitor spending, and expanding airline connectivity and seat capacity is fantastic news for our competitive tourism offer and our welcome. We look forward to welcoming even more Australians to experience everything Britain has to offer through this game-changing new route."
