Qantas completed what is believed to be the longest-ever commercial flight when its Airbus A350-1000ULR landed in Toulouse, France, on Tuesday after a flight from Melbourne lasting 24 hours and 24 minutes.
The flight, which triggered a surge in online tracking, is part of the airline's Project Sunrise, which plans to use a new A350 jet to fly non-stop from Australia to London.
Aircraft and test campaign
The specially adapted A350-1000ULR airliner is due to debut with the Australian carrier's nonstop Sydney-London route from 2027. Airbus has been conducting a two-month test campaign on the aircraft since June.
Airbus said the aircraft, which boasts an extra fuel tank, remained in the air for 24 hours and 24 minutes, covering 23,075 km (14,338 miles) on a route over the Pacific and Atlantic oceans without stopping, before landing at the plane's factory in Toulouse.
Record details
Tuesday's flight is thought to be the longest ever by a commercial plane, beating the previous record of 22 hours and 42 minutes set by a Boeing 777-200LR in 2005 between Hong Kong and London via the Pacific.
In a test last week, the plane flew from Toulouse to Melbourne via the Indian Ocean in just over 19 hours.
Flight-tracking provider Flightradar24 said the trip was the second-most-tracked flight ever on its channels – behind a 2024 flight carrying Queen Elizabeth II's coffin – with more than 3.6 million people following its progress northwards via Canada.
Future plans
Qantas has ordered 12 modified A350-1000ULR aircraft, designed to connect Australia's east coast with London and New York in about 20 hours. The services aim to turn what was once a five-day journey on the "Kangaroo Route" to London into a single flight lasting 19 to 21 hours, depending on routing and winds.
The first aircraft, which carries 20,000 litres of fuel and can seat 238 passengers, is due for delivery in April 2027. Qantas expects to operate daily nonstop flights between Sydney and London from October 2027.
