Overview
- The A350‑1000ULR prototype MSN 707 completed its maiden test flight on Tuesday, June 2, flying three hours and 43 minutes and reaching just above 41,000 feet while flight crews checked the modified fuel architecture.
- That flight begins a roughly two‑month, about 80‑hour certification campaign that will focus on the 20,000‑litre rear centre tank, a new galley air‑cooling system and cabin ventilation and temperature control.
- After the test campaign MSN 707 will be retrofitted to Qantas’ cabin specification while a second ULR is in advanced final assembly and will be the first aircraft delivered to the airline.
- Airbus has pushed the first delivery to April 2027 because of supply‑chain constraints and Qantas is training crews now with plans to announce the initial Sunrise route and launch timing later this month.
- Project Sunrise ties a complex engineering program to a commercial bet: Qantas’ low‑density 238‑seat four‑class layout and wellbeing features depend on successful certification and on‑time deliveries to make nonstop ~22‑hour services viable and commercially sustainable.