Qantas A350 Completes Record 24-Hour Test Flight for Project Sunrise

Qantas has completed a test flight lasting over 24 hours, believed to be the longest commercial flight ever. A specially modified Airbus A350-1000ULR flew from Melbourne, Australia, to Toulouse, France, covering 23,075 kilometres (14,338 miles) in 24 hours and 23–24 minutes.

The aircraft departed Melbourne at 5:27 pm local time on July 27 and landed at Airbus' headquarters in Toulouse at around 9:52 am local time on July 28, according to Airbus and flight-tracking data. The route crossed the Pacific Ocean, the United States, Canada, and the Atlantic Ocean.

The flight surpassed the previous commercial flight duration record of 22 hours and 42 minutes, set by a Boeing 777-200LR during a Hong Kong-London test flight in 2005.

The aircraft, registered F-WULR, briefly performed a go-around before landing. More than 120,000 people tracked it live on Flightradar24, and the flight-tracking platform reported that the journey became the second most-tracked flight in its history, with over 3.6 million people following its progress. Only the flight carrying Queen Elizabeth II's coffin attracted more viewers.

The Airbus A350-1000ULR (Ultra Long Range) has been modified with an additional 20,000-litre fuel tank to enable ultra-long-haul operations. Airbus has been testing the aircraft since June as part of a two-month certification programme. A week earlier, the same aircraft completed a test flight from Toulouse to Melbourne via the Indian Ocean in just over 19 hours.

During the latest mission, engineers assessed the modified fuel system, cabin noise levels, air circulation, and other systems designed for flights lasting nearly a full day. There were 12 people on board, including eight Airbus test crew members, two Qantas pilots, and two Airbus engineers.

Qantas has ordered 12 A350-1000ULR aircraft for its Project Sunrise initiative, which aims to operate nonstop flights from Australia's east coast to London and New York from 2027. Each jet will seat 238 passengers and is designed to fly nonstop between Sydney and London or New York in 19 to 21 hours, depending on weather conditions.

The first aircraft is expected to be delivered in April 2027, with daily nonstop Sydney-London services scheduled to begin in October 2027. Project Sunrise has been in development for nearly a decade and has faced several delays. Once operational, it will transform what was once a five-day journey on the historic Kangaroo Route into a single nonstop flight.

For now, the world's longest scheduled commercial passenger service remains Singapore Airlines' nonstop route between Singapore and New York, covering around 15,350 kilometres in just over 18 hours using another Airbus A350 variant.