Qantas to commence nonstop Sydney-London service in Oct-2027
Qantas Airways announced (17-Jun-2026) plans to commence daily nonstop Sydney-London service in Oct-2027 with 238 seat A350-1000ULR aircraft. The service will be Qantas' first Project Sunrise nonstop route and will operate alongside Perth-London and Sydney-Singapore-London services. The carrier confirmed Sydney-New York will be its next nonstop service. Qantas unveiled its first A350-1000ULR at Airbus' manufacturing facility in Toulouse, with the second aircraft now moving through its eight week testing and certification programme. Qantas pilots have commenced training on Australia's first A350 simulator in Sydney and with British Airways in the UK. Some Qantas pilots will also fly with Cathay Pacific over the coming months. Qantas' current A330 pilots make up the initial intake for Project Sunrise, with 40 in training for the A350. More than 360 pilots and 1200 cabin crew will be trained to operate the fleet of Project Sunrise aircraft by the time the 12th A350-1000ULR arrives. [more - original PR] [more - Aviation Week]
Background ✨
Qantas' first Project Sunrise A350-1000ULR completed its maiden test flight from Toulouse, beginning a two month campaign covering about 80 flight hours and certification checks, while the second aircraft progressed through final assembly and was slated for Apr-2027 delivery.1 2 Airbus supply chain issues previously pushed first delivery to Apr-2027, although Qantas expected subsequent deliveries to restore the schedule by Nov-2027.3