Qantas has completed what is believed to be the longest commercial flight ever, with a specially modified Airbus A350 remaining airborne for more than 24 hours before landing in Toulouse, France. The record-setting journey is a major milestone for the airline’s long-delayed Project Sunrise, which aims to operate nonstop flights from Australia’s east coast to London and New York from 2027.
The aircraft departed Melbourne at 5:27 pm local time on July 27 and landed at Airbus’ headquarters in Toulouse at around 9:52 am local time on July 28 after flying for 24 hours and 23–24 minutes, according to Airbus and flight-tracking data. The plane covered 23,075 kilometres (14,338 miles), crossing the Pacific Ocean, the United States, Canada and the Atlantic before arriving in southern France.
The flight surpassed the previous commercial flight duration record of 22 hours and 42 minutes, set by a Boeing 777-200LR during a Hong Kong-London test flight in 2005.
The aircraft, registered F-WULR, briefly performed a go-around before landing, drawing the attention of more than 120,000 people tracking it live on Flightradar24. The flight-tracking platform said the journey became the second most-tracked flight in its history, with more than 3.6 million people following its progress. Only the flight carrying Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin attracted more viewers.
Touchdown! ✈️
After 24 hours and 23 minutes in the air, the A350-1000ULR has completed the flight from Melbourne to Toulouse. pic.twitter.com/D5gnynjPOh
— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) July 28, 2026
The aircraft is a specially modified Airbus A350-1000ULR (Ultra Long Range) equipped with an additional 20,000-litre fuel tank to enable ultra-long-haul operations. Airbus has been testing the aircraft since June as part of a two-month certification programme.
Just a week earlier, the same aircraft completed a test flight from Toulouse to Melbourne via the Indian Ocean in just over 19 hours.
During the latest mission, engineers assessed the modified fuel system, cabin noise levels, air circulation and other systems designed for flights lasting nearly a full day. There were 12 people on board, including eight Airbus test crew members, two Qantas pilots and two Airbus engineers.
History made.
After a 12,460NM (23,075.92 km) / 24 hours 24 minutes direct flight from Melbourne 🇦🇺, the #A350-1000ULR arrives home in Toulouse 🇫🇷.Watch the journey on @FlightRadar24: https://t.co/tzKbCjsfFM#Ultimate #LongRangeLeader pic.twitter.com/pTjoOuhqpb
— Airbus (@Airbus) July 28, 2026
Project Sunrise inches closer
Qantas has ordered 12 A350-1000ULR aircraft for Project Sunrise. Each jet will seat 238 passengers and is designed to fly nonstop between Sydney and London or New York in 19 to 21 hours, depending on weather conditions.
The first aircraft is expected to be delivered in April 2027, with daily nonstop Sydney-London services scheduled to begin in October 2027.
Project Sunrise has been in development for nearly a decade and has faced several delays. Once operational, it will transform what was once a five-day journey on the historic Kangaroo Route into a single nonstop flight.
For now, the world’s longest scheduled commercial passenger service remains Singapore Airlines’ nonstop route between Singapore and New York, covering around 15,350 kilometres in just over 18 hours using another Airbus A350 variant.
Source link
[ad_3]
