Qantas sets Sydney-London nonstop for October 2027 debut
What's new: The airline expects to start ticket sales in February and charge about 20% more in premium cabins than one-stop flights.
Qantas picked London as the first destination for its Project Sunrise ultra-long-haul service, with nonstop flights from Sydney due to begin in October 2027. The route, operated by specially configured Airbus A350-1000ULR jets, is set to become the world’s longest direct commercial flight at roughly 20 hours. Qantas plans to start selling tickets in February and later extend the program to New York. The airline says the service will cut a journey that now takes about 24 to 25 hours with a stop, usually in Singapore, to roughly 19 to 21 hours. Qantas has ordered 12 of the aircraft and estimates Project Sunrise could add more than A$400 million a year to earnings, though higher fuel costs could raise the route’s break-even point.