Qantas non-stop London, New York flights on track for 2026

Qantas’ goal of bouncing from Sydney and Melbourne to London and New York in a single hop is slowly inching closer, with the airline boss confirming its non-stop ‘Project Sunrise’ flights are on track for a 2026 debut.

A total of 12 Airbus A350-1000s are on order, with the first of these ultra-long-range jets expected to arrive in the middle of the year, unlocking ambitious 18-20 hour non-stop flights from Australia’s east coast.

Manufacturing and certification issues have delayed the aircraft’s delivery, most recently forcing a six-month delay from late 2025, but the airline is confident that once the first A350 is in the hangar, the remainder “will come relatively quickly after that”.

Qantas' new A350s will feature an impressive new first suite design.

The debut of those factory-fresh A350s will see the arrival of an all-new Qantas inflight experience, one specially designed for maximum comfort on the marathon journeys.

This includes a fully-private A350 first class suites featuring a separate armchair and bed, of which there will be just six in total, followed by 52 ultra-sleek business class suites.

Each Project Sunrise A350 will also feature what Qantas refers to as ‘Wellbeing Zones’ - dedicated spaces for passengers in all cabin classes to stand and stretch, which will undoubtedly become popular areas during these ultra-long journeys.

Qantas' A350 Wellbeing Zone.

These spaces will feature video screens with recommended exercises to help increase blood flow and improve overall passenger wellbeing, along with a self-service refreshment bar.

On top, there’s also special lighting from nose to tail, designed in collaboration with the University of Sydney’s Charles Perkins Centre to help combat the effects of jet lag. More on this below. 

Our guide to Qantas Project Sunrise, below, dives more into what will be the world’s longest commercial flights.

When is the Qantas Project Sunrise A350 launch date?

The first flights under the Project Sunrise banner are expected to take wing in the back half of 2026. Launch routes will be Sydney to London and Sydney to New York, with other city-pairs to follow.

This is much later than Qantas’ original plans to begin flights in early-mid 2023 – plans which were in place at the start of 2020, until Covid-19 brought the aviation industry to a standstill.

The Qantas Airbus A350 order

For Project Sunrise, Qantas has specifically selected the A350-1000 model – the larger cousin of the more common A350-900.

In fact, it’s a special version called the A350-1000ULR, where ULR stands for ‘Ultra Long Range’ (Singapore Airlines relies on an A350-900ULR for its own non-stop flights such as Singapore to New York).

Qantas worked with Airbus to develop the Project Sunrise A350-1000ULR, which will be fitted with an extra fuel tank, along with other engineering modifications and design and technical refinements needed to fly non-stop for up to 21 hours, which Qantas considers will be more than the longest Project Sunrise flight and allows some leeway for extra flying time caused by strong headwinds and unexpected delays in landing.

Qantas’ initial order is for twelve Airbus A350s, although more are expected follow.

Qantas' forthcoming Airbus A350.

At a previously-published list price of US$366.5 million per A350, even one dozen A350s for Project Sunrise represents a massive outlay of US$4.4 billion, although airlines typically receive a discount of up to 50% off the sticker for bulk fleet orders.

(Boeing pitched its next-generation 777X to Qantas for Project Sunrise routes, but Qantas voted against it – which is just as well, considering the 777X’s development has suffered ongoing delays and Boeing now says the first 777-9 won’t be delivered until sometime in 2025.)

Qantas Project Sunrise A350 routes

Thanks to this extra fuel tank and additional modifications to boost their efficiency and range, the Qantas Project Sunrise A350s will be able to tackle the world’s longest routes.

The Qantas Project Sunrise A350 launch routes will be from Sydney, specifically Sydney-London and Sydney-New York. Further destinations for the new aircraft could include Paris, Frankfurt, Cape Town and Rio de Janeiro.

Sydney’s status as the prestigious launchpad for Project Sunrise was one condition of a $50 million offer made by the NSW state government in April 2021 to keep Qantas based in Sydney, rather than see it decamp to Melbourne or Brisbane.

In its statement on the decision to retain its Sydney HQ, Qantas confirmed that “Sydney will be the launch city for the first Project Sunrise flights (non-stop to cities including New York and London) once international travel recovers and this investment goes ahead.”

Qantas' initial set of proposed Project Sunrise routes

Those Sydney flights will be followed by Melbourne-London and Melbourne-New York, while other Qantas Project Sunrise A350 destinations will include Paris and potentially Frankfurt.

Miami and Sao Paulo have also been floated as potential Project Sunrise A350 destinations in the past.

And while designed for Project Sunrise, the ultra-long range A350s will not be limited to those ambitious globe-striding marathons, with Qantas already confirming the A350 will take over from the Boeing 787-9 on the Perth-London route in 2026.

Likewise, it’s expected a second order of A350 orders will eventually see these modern twinjets effectively replace the long-standing stopover flights from Sydney to London via Singapore, which for years have featured the A380 superjumbo.

But for now, and until the double-deckers are retired, those flights will remain on the Qantas schedule for travellers who prefer to break their journey and stretch their legs, and they’ll be less expensive than the direct Project Sunrise A350 flights to London.

Qantas Project Sunrise flight numbers

Given that Project Sunrise flights will be on Qantas' flagship routes, we expect they’ll carry equally-significant flight numbers.

Our tip is that the non-stop Sydney-London service will inherit the prestigious QF1/QF2 badge, which has traditionally been assigned to the Sydney-Singapore-London flight.

Likewise, we'd expect the non-stop Sydney-New York flights to launch as QF3/QF4 (today those numbers belong to Qantas' Sydney-Honolulu route which in the 1960s used to continue to San Francisco, Qantas' primary US hub for several decades before it switched to LAX).

Qantas Airbus A350 seat map

The Qantas Airbus A350 seat map shows 238 seats across four travel classes – first, business, premium economy and economy – along with a dedicated Wellbeing Zone located between premium economy and economy.

The A350 sees all-new seat designs in each of those cabins, with Qantas having completed the A350's cabin configuration with the stated aim of "redefining" all four travel classes from tip to tail.

Qantas' new A350s will offer four seating classes.

Significantly, the Project Sunrise A350 jets have just over 40% of their space assigned to premium cabins (first class, business class and premium economy), dominated by a 52-seat business class section.

(By comparison, the airline's current Boeing 787-9 configuration is almost 30% premium, based on the combined 70-seat tally of business class and premium economy out of 236 seats in total – a much higher ratio than three-class Dreamliners flown by other airlines.)

Qantas Project Sunrise A350 first class

As befits Qantas’ newest flagship on these marathon non-stop flights, the Project Sunrise A350 aircraft will be crowned by what Joyce has described to Executive Traveller as “super first class” suites, and shown in these mockups.

The A350’s first class flyers will be cocooned in these fully-private suites with a separate armchair and bed, a personal wardobe and fronted by a massive 32" HD video screen with bluetooth connectivity.

First class on the A350 will be six seats in two rows.

Only six first suites will be available per flight, making up the first two rows in a 1-1-1 layout across the cabin, in line with a global trend towards reducing the number of first class suites – often driven by softer demand as business class continues to get better – while also allowing a larger physical footprint for each suite.

All six First Suites will allow fully customisable lighting, meaning passengers can choose the time zone they want to be on for the duration of the flight. 

Learn more: Qantas Unveils closer look at all-new A350 first class suites

Qantas Project Sunrise A350 business class

The Qantas A350s will boast a sizeable business class cabin to suit the ‘premium-heavy’ nature of the Project Sunrise routes.

After all, if you’re setting out on The World's Longest Flight™ with 18-20 hours aloft, you'd want to be in some of the most spacious and comfortable seats on the plane.

The Project Sunrise A350s will debut an all-new business class seat which raises the bar above the well-regarded Business Suite of today's Qantas Boeing 787s, Airbus A330s and A380 superjumbos.

Qantas' Project Sunrise A350 business class will top the airline's current Business Suite design.

Branded as the Qantas A350 Business Suite, the seat will be built upon Safran Seats' latest Unity platform, but with significant enhancements from David Caon: think sliding doors, a long fully lie-flat bed, a generous 18” video screen with Bluetooth audio connectivity, USB-C and wireless device charging.

As per its configuration, it will boast the same 1-2-1 layout as Qantas’ current Business Suite, with individual ‘window seats’ alternating between being near the the window or closer to the aisle.

These seats will be split across two cabins: a main section with 28 seats, and a smaller secondary cabin with 24 seats, separated by a self-serve snack bar .

 Learn more: Up close with Qantas' all-new A350 business class

Qantas Project Sunrise A350 premium economy and economy class

Of course, not everyone can fly in first class or business class – and mindful of the trail these bum-numbingly long Project Sunrise flights could represent, especially down the back of the (Air)bus, Qantas has spec'd out all-new designs for the premium economy and economy seats.

The airline promises these will be more comfortable and spacious than today's equivalents.

Qantas' new A350 premium economy.

Based on a product from seatmaker Safran, and customised by Qantas designer David Caon for greater comfort and convenience, the new Qantas A350 premium economy adheres to a ‘cradle’ concept which fully supports your body, “but it’s a more conventional approach” compared to those on the 787 and A380.

The 40” pitch is also two inches greater than on the Boeing 787 and sits at the upper edge of the industry’s average 38” pitch (although some airlines top even that, such as 41” for Air New Zealand premium economy).

Read more: Here is Qantas’ all-new premium economy seat

Qantas Project Sunrise A350 Wellness Zone

In addition to more open space around the exit areas where passengers can stand and limber up a little, a dedicated ‘Wellness Zone’ will be stategically located between the premium economy and economy cabins.

Qantas says dedicated stretching spaces will make the nearly day-long flights more bearable.

Here is where Project Sunrise passengers from any cabin class can limber up to help battle non-stop flight fatigue, with the help of guided video exercises to get the blood flowing and alleviate the muscle aches which can set it after you’ve been sitting for too long.

Jet lag-beating lights above the clouds

With 18-odd hours in the sky, it stands to reason many travellers’ body clocks will get out of sync.

To help combat the effects of jet lag, Qantas has collaborated with the University of Sydney’s Charles Perkins Centre to create custom lighting that mimics the rays of the sunrise, midday and even the moonlight hours. 

A total of 12 lighting combinations have been created, including:

• Awake: blue-enriched lighting to help customers adjust to the destination time zone.
• Sunset: an immersive transition which moves through the colours of a sunset into a night sky with moonlight to help passengers prepare them for sleep 
• Sunrise: Dynamic lighting that rolls from night to day, starting from the front of the cabin to the rear

The Wellbeing Zone features soft blue-enriched light, designed to mimic slow moving clouds, plus a moonlight-inspired scene with reflections of rippling water.

Will the Qantas Project Sunrise A350s be equipped with WiFi?

Yes, Project Sunrise Airbus A350 jets are intended to have fast and free WiFi – a now-essential part of travel for many people.

And it should be very fast indeed, on the back of the ViaSat-3 network, which is expected to come online across Asia Pacific in the latter half of 2024. 

How much will Qantas Project Sunrise A350 flights cost?

Qantas intends to price its non-stop Project Sunrise flights at a premium over conventional routes.

Former Qantas boss Alan Joyce previously suggested prices of “20 to 30 per cent” higher compared to fares on the same routes but involving a stopover, such as London via Singapore or New York via Los Angeles.

“When you do something unique that gives you a customer value proposition that’s quite special, you can charge a premium for it,” Joyce reasoned.

It’s hard to imagine Qantas Project Sunrise fares could be as much as one-third higher – especially in economy, where travellers are typically price-sensitive – but there’s no doubt that people who want to fly direct and get to their destination sooner would be expected to pay more than the stopover set.

How much time will Qantas’ non-stop Project Sunrise A350 flights save?

The notion of darting non-stop from Sydney or Melbourne to London or New York implies a substantial time saving compared to the conventional stop-over in Singapore or Los Angeles.

After all, you’re immediately slashing those two hours you might spend on the ground, along with the necessary time for your flight to land and take off again.

Surely flying direct means getting where you’re going a lot sooner?

Not quite. Sooner, yes, but the most significant benefits of these Project Sunrise flights won’t be measured by a stopwatch.

Take as an example the Sydney-Singapore-London ‘Kangaroo Route’. This notches up almost 23 hours in the air – add the time spent on the ground in Singapore, and the start-to-finish journey stretches close to 25 hours.

Qantas’ initial pitch for Project Sunrise promised a saving of ‘up to four hours’ by skipping Singapore.

Nobody’s going to argue with winning back four hours, but it doesn’t seem all that much in the scheme of things – and many people (especially those not flying in first or business) would maintain that breaking their journey in the Singapore lounges is worth the longer trip.

But the real benefits of those direct flights are less about the time shaved off from start to finish, than the fact that all of that time is yours without interruption.

Non-stop flights let you weave your own timetable to eat, work, relax and sleep when you want.

Project Sunrise flights, like Singapore Airlines' non-stop flights to New York, hand you 18-20 hours as a single contiguous block, to divvy up as you like, rather than have it broken into two segments with a stop-over in between.

Work, then dine, then sleep? Sleep, eat, then work and relax again? It's all about letting you set your own schedule – one where mandatory stop-overs don't get a look in.

This is especially useful if you're following a very specific anti-jetlag timetable for eating and sleeping.

And harking back to the Kangaroo Route as our example, there’s another upside on the return leg from London to Sydney or Melbourne. Regular travellers from London or Singapore can attest that this final part of the journey short-changes you on sleep.

With 7-8 hours from wheels-up at Changi to landing in Australia, the window for sleep is at best six hours – and that’s six hours in a noisy cabin, on a bed which is never anywhere near as restful and relaxing as the one at home.

A non-stop flight changes that for the better, and there’s every chance that with a longer sleep under your belt, you’ll arrive feeling not only fresher but with less post-flight fatigue and downtime.

That's something which every business traveller and holiday-maker will appreciate.