Qantas received its first ultra long-range Airbus A350-1000ULR aircraft on Friday following a 19-hour nonstop test flight from the Airbus manufacturing facility in Toulouse, France to Melbourne. The aircraft covered approximately 17,000 kilometers during the journey, attracting significant public interest with over 67,000 people tracking the flight on flightradar24.com, making it the most-watched flight globally that day. The test departure occurred Thursday at 7:33 a.m. local time, with the aircraft landing in Melbourne at 10:46 a.m. local time.
The flight was conducted by four Airbus test pilots and five flight test engineers who will remain in Melbourne over the weekend before departing for France on Monday with two Qantas pilots joining the crew. The return journey is expected to take approximately 23 hours as crews conduct comprehensive testing of various aircraft systems including fuel transfer and air conditioning capabilities. Qantas’s chief technical pilot noted that crew members will have access to regular rest breaks during extended flights, supported by the airline’s data-driven approach to managing fatigue.
The aircraft represents a significant development for Qantas’s Project Sunrise initiative, designed to enable nonstop commercial service between Sydney and London, currently scheduled to commence in October 2027. The A350-1000ULR features an additional 20,000-liter fuel tank enabling flights of up to approximately 18,500 kilometers. Qantas has ordered 12 of these aircraft configured with 238 seats, fewer than the standard A350-1000 models which carry over 300 seats.
The test aircraft does not yet display Qantas’s official livery, featuring instead a tan exterior with company branding. The first aircraft painted in full Qantas colors, designated Vega, remains on the assembly line with delivery scheduled for April 2027. This represents another delay in the Project Sunrise timeline, as the airline had previously anticipated receiving the first aircraft by late 2026, with service commencing in the first half of 2027.
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