Flightradar24 has confirmed that a test flight of Qantas' new Airbus A350-1000ULR became the second most tracked flight ever, behind only Queen Elizabeth II's final flight carrying her coffin from Edinburgh to London in 2022. The aircraft, designed for the airline's ambitious "Project Sunrise," made history after completing a gargantuan test flight from the Airbus factory in Toulouse, France, to Melbourne, Australia.
Record-breaking journey
The test flight took off from Toulouse last Thursday (July 23) at 7:33 am local time and touched down in Melbourne on Friday (July 24) after 19 hours and 12 minutes. A total of 75,000 people watched the landing live on Flightradar24, with the flight tracking platform reporting 2,972,670 total views over the 19-hour trip.
Built specifically for Australian flag carrier Qantas, the ultra-long-range jet is designed to finally link London and Sydney with direct, non-stop flights starting in October 2027. The aircraft features a specialised rear fuel tank carrying an extra 20,000 litres, giving it the capability to stay airborne for up to 22 hours continuously.
Crew and return journey
Four Airbus pilots and five test engineers were on board to monitor the aircraft's systems during the 19-hour and 13-minute delivery journey. Soon after departing Toulouse, it was the most tracked flight in the world. The jet began its return journey back to Europe just before 5:30 pm on Monday (July 27), with an expected block time of 23 hours. Over 10,000 people watched the departure live.
Route and passenger experience
While non-stop flights between the UK and Australia usually head east, Qantas revealed it would instead fly over the North Pole in its newest non-stop route. During the Northern Hemisphere's winter, roughly 20% of flights will head north over Alaska, Greenland and Iceland before descending into London. By taking advantage of favourable tailwinds and lighter air traffic, this alternative route will cut total travel time to between 19 hours 25 minutes and 20 hours 55 minutes, depending on conditions.
Crossing up to 11 time zones presents a major challenge for passenger body clocks. To combat extreme jet lag, Qantas partnered with the University of Sydney sleep experts to redesign the entire in-flight experience. This includes keeping the cabin dark for a full 12 hours, helping passengers sleep naturally despite the rapid time-zone shift.
The aircraft also features 12 circadian lighting scenes, including simulated sunsets, to help the body clock adapt. Meals are strategically timed with low-fat, high-protein options before rest and alertness-boosting spices upon waking. Passengers can also use a dedicated wellbeing zone between Economy and Premium Economy to stretch and follow guided exercises throughout the record-breaking journey.
Comparison with current longest flight
Before Project Sunrise launches to passengers in 2027, the world's longest commercial flight remains Singapore Airlines SQ23/SQ24 between Singapore and New York. Covering 9,537 miles (15,349 km) on an Airbus A350-900ULR, the non-stop trek takes nearly 19 hours. Qantas' new route will soon shatter both records, stretching an extra 1,000 miles to 10,500 miles and pushing flight times up to 21 hours.
