Qantas Airways confirms return of Project Sunrise A350-1000ULR to Toulouse following test flight
Qantas Airways, via its official LinkedIn and Facebook accounts, confirmed (28-Jul-2026) its Project Sunrise A350-1000ULR returned to Toulouse following a 24 hour flight from Melbourne. As previously reported by CAPA, the aircraft operated a test flight to Melbourne on 24-Jul-2026, with two Qantas pilots joining the Airbus flight test crew on board for the return flight.
Background ✨
Qantas planned to launch daily nonstop Sydney-London in Oct-2027 using 238-seat A350-1000ULRs, with Sydney-New York confirmed as the next nonstop route and extensive pilot and cabin crew training underway.1 Airbus supply chain issues delayed first delivery to Apr-2027, although Qantas said subsequent deliveries would restore the schedule by Nov-2027.2 Qantas also unveiled a premium-heavy cabin with a Wellbeing Zone, reflecting research into passenger comfort on flights up to 22 hours.3