For decades, the journey between Australia and London has been defined by distance, refuelling stops and long layovers. Qantas now says it is ready to remove the final interruption from one of aviation’s most famous routes.
The airline has confirmed that Sydney to London will be the first service under Project Sunrise, its long-planned ultra-long-haul programme. The route is expected to begin in October 2027 and will become the world’s longest regular non-stop passenger flight.
The flight will cover more than 16,000 kilometres and could take up to 22 hours, depending on weather and operating conditions. It will be the first time passengers can travel directly between Sydney and London without changing aircraft or stopping en route.
From Seven Stops to None
Qantas has presented the new service as the next chapter in the Kangaroo Route, the historic link between Australia and the UK. When the airline first flew the route in 1947, the journey to London required seven stops. New generations of aircraft gradually reduced that number, until Perth-London became the longest direct option currently available for economy passengers.
Project Sunrise is intended to go further by connecting Australia’s east coast directly with Europe and, later, North America. Sydney to New York has already been confirmed as the next route, although Qantas says it will announce the launch timing next year.
Qantas Group CEO Vanessa Hudson said the new route fulfilled a commitment made in 2017 to overcome what the airline has long described as the “final frontier” of long-haul aviation.
A Smaller Cabin for a Much Longer Journey
The aircraft chosen for the route is not a standard long-haul jet. Qantas will use a customised Airbus A350-1000ULR, developed with an additional 20,000-litre fuel tank to allow it to fly more than 16,000 kilometres without stopping.
The airline has also chosen a much lower-density layout than usual. Although an Airbus A350-1000 can be configured to carry far more passengers, Qantas’ Project Sunrise aircraft will have 238 seats across four cabins.
That includes 140 economy seats, making the route unusual among the world’s very longest flights. Singapore Airlines currently operates the longest scheduled non-stop service, between Singapore and New York, but that flight does not carry economy passengers.
Qantas has ordered 12 of the modified aircraft. The first has now been unveiled, while a second is going through testing and certification after completing its first flight earlier this month.
The Longest Seat in Economy
For passengers at the back of the aircraft, the Sydney-London service would set a new benchmark. The current longest direct economy option is Qantas’ London-Perth route, which covers 14,499 kilometres and normally takes between 16 and 18 hours.
Sydney-London will push that experience several hours further. For Qantas, the bet is that travellers will accept a near-full day in the air in exchange for avoiding stopovers and shortening the overall journey between Australia and Europe.
If successful, Project Sunrise could reshape how Australia connects with the rest of the world, turning routes once seen as too long for regular passenger service into direct links.
With information from Euronews
