Qantas has released the first images of the Airbus jet that will fly non-stop from London Heathrow to Sydney, currently under construction in Toulouse. The programme to launch the world’s longest flight is known as “Project Sunrise”.
It uses a specially configured Airbus A350-1000, with an additional 20,000 litre rear centre fuel tank. The plane will be capable of flying for 22 hours without refuelling.
The Australian airline says: “All key airframe components including the forward, centre and rear fuselage sections have come together, along with the wings, tail section and landing gear now attached.
“This week the aircraft will be transferred to a new hangar where it will have engines and flight test instruments installed, in preparation for an extensive test flight programme, commencing in 2026.”
The type is certified for as many as 480 passengers – but Qantas will fit only 238 seats, fewer than half as many.
Qantas Group chief executive Vanessa Hudson said: “Project Sunrise will not only overcome the tyranny of distance, it will fundamentally change the way our customers travel the world. These flights will cut up to four hours off the journey and transform how people experience ultra longhaul.”
Due to the ban on flying over Russia, the actual journey will be considerably longer than the point-to-point distance of 10,573 miles. The direct route involves crossing from Latvia into Russian airspace, with about four hours spend over the territory of the world’s largest country before exiting via Kazakhstan.
But speaking to The Independent earlier in the year, Ms Hudson said being unable to fly over Russia would not pose a problem to the flights – with one option being traversing the Arctic.
“Geopolitics is a part of any operational consideration, but these aircraft won't need to fly over Russia to be able to make the distance,” she said.
“The really unique thing about this flight is that at some times of the year, the fastest way to get from Sydney to London will be over Japan and over the North Pole and down the other side because of the the wind direction.
“Our pilots are doing lots of flight planning for that flight. They've got over 12 months' worth of wind data and are doing lots of flight-planning simulations.”
The Qantas CEO predicts fares will be around 20 per cent higher than existing flights between London and Sydney, which refuel along the way.
She said: “There are absolutely customers who say, 'I value getting there in one stop, I value point to point, I value the premium experience, and I'm prepared to pay for that.”
Environmentalists are opposed to such ultra-longhaul flights because they burn far more fuel per passenger. Much of it is used to carry fuel for later in the journey.
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