Qantas revives plan for world’s longest direct flights

Qantas Airways Ltd. revived a plan to start direct flights connecting Australia’s east coast with New York and London as it finally ordered jets for the ultra-long services from Airbus SE.

The airline said Monday it’s buying 12 A350-1000s that can fly non-stop from Australia to any city in the world. Commercial services will start from Sydney in late 2025, Qantas said. 

Qantas had planned to start the 20-hour flights—internally called Project Sunrise—in 2023, and was well into its preparations and close to ordering the aircraft when Covid-19 decimated aviation and delayed the plans.

The resumption of the project signals the airline’s confidence in an international rebound in passenger traffic, as well as higher demand for flights with no stopovers.

“The A350 and Project Sunrise will make any city just one flight away from Australia,” Qantas Chief Executive Officer Alan Joyce said. “It’s the last frontier and the final fix for the tyranny of distance.”

Qantas’ A350s will be configured to carry 238 passengers in four classes—first, business, premium economy and economy. Most A350s operated by other airlines carry more than 300 passengers, according to Qantas. The planes will have an extra fuel tank fitted to extend their range to make sure they can fly the distances required. 

More than 40% of the cabin will be premium seating compared with about 30% in Qantas’s Boeing Co. 787s and Airbus A380s, and the news planes will have “a wellbeing zone” in the middle for passengers to stretch, the airline said. 

Plans for the unprecedented services have been underway since at least 2018. Qantas has originally dreamed up cabin interiors geared toward surviving such marathon flights. At one stage, Joyce reckoned there was scope to incorporate bunks, child-care facilities and even somewhere to work out on the plane.

The commercial reality is set to be less glamorous. A Qantas spokesman said Monday the plane’s economy seats will have two more inches of legroom, though the first-class cabins will come with a seat, a bed and a door.

The A350s will be delivered to Qantas from 2025 until 2028.

Qantas also confirmed a domestic fleet order, announced in December, for 40 A321XLRs and A220 aircraft, as well as options for 94 more jets over at least a decade.