Australian airline Qantas is ordering new Airbus A350 aircraft which will allow it to start operating the first non-stop flights between London and Sydney.
Qantas will start taking delivery of the first of 12 Airbus A350-1000s in 2025 when it plans to begin non-stop services from Sydney to both London and New York, which would become the longest flights in the world with flight times of around 19 hours.
The initiative, known as Project Sunrise, comes as Qantas also renews its fleet of short-haul aircraft with orders for 20 Airbus A321XLRs and 20 Airbus A220-300s.
Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce said: “The A350 and Project Sunrise will make any city just one flight away from Australia. It’s the last frontier and the final fix for the tyranny of distance. As you’d expect, the cabin is being specially designed for maximum comfort in all classes for long-haul flying.
“We have come through the other side of the pandemic a structurally different company. Our domestic market share is higher and the demand for direct international flights is even stronger than it was before Covid.”
The airline launched its first non-stop flights between Australia and the UK in 2018 when it started a service between Heathrow and Perth with a flying time of around 17 hours.
Project Sunrise aircraft will be 25 per cent more fuel-efficient than current aircraft. The A350s will carry 238 passengers across four classes: first, business, premium economy and economy, with more than 40 per cent of the aircraft being dedicated to premium seats.
Qantas added that the cabin would be “specially configured for improved comfort” on these ultra-long-haul flights and will also feature a wellbeing zone for passengers. Service is expected to start in late 2025.