Overview
- The test aircraft flew nonstop from Melbourne to Toulouse on July 27–28, remaining airborne for about 24 hours and covering roughly 12,460 nautical miles as part of the A350‑1000ULR flight‑test campaign.
- Engineers used more than 1,000 sensors to monitor fuel transfer, environmental controls and pilot rest arrangements while the mission exercised an eastbound route across the Pacific, North America and the Atlantic.
- Airbus confirmed the ULR carries an added rear centre tank of about 20,000–20,900 litres, which increases range by roughly 1,000 nautical miles and supports the 23‑hour block‑time targets for Project Sunrise.
- The flight drew massive public attention, with FlightRadar24 reporting about 3.6 million people tracking the return leg, and included Qantas pilots on the return to gain hands‑on experience of the variant.
- Airbus and Qantas will now analyse test data and engage regulators as they work toward a planned first delivery in April 2027 and Qantas’ tentative target of starting Sydney–London services around October 2027, with official record recognition still under review.