Qantas has taken a significant step towards launching direct flights between the UK and Australia, with the first test flight of its new ultra long-range Airbus A350-1000ULR touching down in Melbourne on Friday. The aircraft completed a 19-hour nonstop journey from Toulouse, France, covering nearly 17,000km, as part of the airline's Project Sunrise initiative.
The A350-1000ULR, designed to fly up to 22 hours nonstop, is intended to operate the Sydney to London direct route, which is expected to commence in October 2027. The test flight attracted global attention, with over 67,000 people tracking its progress on flightradar24.com, making it the most-watched flight worldwide on Friday.
Qantas stated that four Airbus flight test pilots and five flight test engineers operated the aircraft during the test. The crew and plane will remain in Melbourne over the weekend before returning to Toulouse on Monday, with two Qantas pilots joining them for the return journey. Chief technical pilot Alex Passerini noted the return flight would take 23 hours, allowing crews to test systems including fuel transfer and air conditioning.
The aircraft, which is the first of its model to fly, completed its initial three-hour test flight over France on 2 June. The test model lacks Qantas's official livery, but the first aircraft painted in Qantas colours, named Vega, is still on the assembly line and is due for delivery in April 2027. Qantas has ordered 12 of these aircraft, each configured with 238 seats.
Project Sunrise has faced multiple delays, with the start date pushed back from the first half of 2027 to October 2027 following Airbus's announcement of a later delivery. While Qantas has previously mentioned Melbourne and Brisbane as potential hubs, the latest announcements have focused on Sydney, with officials indicating routes will adjust based on customer demand.
