Updated

Updated · Jalopnik · Jun 21

Airbus, Qantas Complete First A350-1000ULR Test Flight for 10,000-Nautical-Mile Sunrise Routes

Updated

Updated · Jalopnik · Jun 21

Airbus, Qantas Complete First A350-1000ULR Test Flight for 10,000-Nautical-Mile Sunrise Routes

Q: By sacrificing half its seats for fuel, is this a luxury shuttle or the future of mainstream long-haul travel?

It is closer to a premium niche product today, but it also points to where a slice of mainstream long-haul travel is heading. Qantas’s A350-1000ULR is not a standard mass-market widebody. It cuts capacity to 238 seats from the A350-1000’s much higher typical layout, adds a 20,000-liter rear-center fuel tank, and raises maximum takeoff weight to 322 metric tons to make 20- to 22-hour nonstop flights possible. That math only works if passengers pay for the convenience of avoiding a stop and for a more tolerable cabin on flights from Sydney to London or New York. The cabin design makes that clear. Qantas is using fewer seats to create more space, a wellbeing zone, circadian lighting, and a premium-heavy mix of first, business and premium economy. Even economy gets relatively generous pitch. That is not the model airlines use for mainstream long-haul economics, which usually depend on higher seat density and lower cost per seat. Still, Project Sunrise is more than a luxury experiment. Qantas has ordered 12 aircraft, is targeting service from 2027, and is betting that demand for nonstop ultra-long-haul travel is durable, as seen on routes like Perth-London. The broader industry trend also favors direct intercontinental flying as aircraft become more efficient. So this is not the future of all long-haul travel. It is the future of one growing segment: premium-leaning, nonstop ultra-long-haul service between major global hubs, where travelers will pay extra to defeat distance.

3 articles · Updated · Jalopnik · Jun 21

A nearly four-hour experimental flight outside Toulouse marked the first airborne test of the A350-1000ULR that Qantas plans to use for Project Sunrise nonstop services.
The aircraft is being developed to fly about 10,000 nautical miles—roughly 22 hours—on routes linking Sydney with London and New York, two city pairs current commercial jets cannot serve nonstop.
Two months of flight testing are planned, with commercial entry targeted for April 2027 if the data supports certification and final delivery.
The 238-seat layout trades capacity for range and comfort, while a new 20,000-liter fuel tank and a higher 322-metric-ton maximum takeoff weight extend the jet beyond the standard A350-1000.