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Qantas Confirms Sydney–London Nonstop Flights for October 2027

Modified A350-1000ULR jets will enable roughly 20–22 hour services with Qantas completing testing, crew training and commercial preparations.

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An Airbus A350-1000 test plane arrives at Sydney Airport as the backdrop for Qantas announcing an order for 12 of the planes in Sydney, Australia May 2, 2022. REUTERS/Jamie Freed/File Photo

Overview

  • Qantas announced on Wednesday that it will begin nonstop Sydney–London services in October 2027, with tickets to go on sale in February 2027 and the first A350-1000ULR due for delivery in April 2027.
  • The specially modified A350-1000ULR carries 238 passengers in a four-class layout, includes a 20,000-litre rear-centre fuel tank and is engineered to fly up to about 22 hours nonstop; Qantas has 12 of the type on order.
  • Operational work is under way: Airbus has flown test aircraft, Qantas is running pilot and cabin training, and the airline plans to certify the modified fuel systems before entry into service.
  • Qantas is positioning the route as a premium, time-saving product and expects roughly a 20% fare uplift in premium cabins and more than A$400 million a year in incremental earnings, yet higher fuel costs and competition from Gulf carriers pose commercial risks.
  • Project Sunrise began in 2017, was delayed by COVID and supply-chain issues, and Qantas says Sydney–New York will be the next nonstop destination with launch timing to be announced next year as regulatory approvals are completed.