Overview
- Qantas announced Wednesday that it will sell tickets for non‑stop Sydney–London Project Sunrise flights from February 2027 and start commercial services in October 2027.
- The route will use specially modified Airbus A350‑1000ULR jets that carry 238 passengers and include an extra rear‑centre fuel tank to enable up to about 22 hours of continuous flight.
- Airbus and Qantas are conducting an intensive flight‑test and certification campaign in Toulouse while Qantas expects its first A350‑1000ULR delivery in April 2027 and is ramping pilot and cabin‑crew training.
- Qantas projects the service could add more than A$400 million a year if it achieves roughly 20% higher fares in premium cabins, but analysts warn higher fuel costs and defensive pricing from hub carriers raise the break‑even hurdle.
- The non‑stop London service will operate alongside existing one‑stop and Perth‑London routes, and Qantas has confirmed Sydney–New York as the next Project Sunrise destination with timing to be announced later.