Qantas wants to fly from Australia’s east coast to London and New York without stopping. Here’s how Project Sunrise works, and what 22 hours in the air will be like.
Project Sunrise is Qantas’ plan to connect Australia’s east coast directly with London and New York, with no stop on the way.
The name comes from Qantas history. During the Second World War, the airline flew “double sunrise” flights between Perth and Sri Lanka that stayed in the air so long passengers saw the sun rise twice.
The flight from Sydney to London covers about 17,000 kilometres. When Qantas first flew the Kangaroo Route in 1947, the trip took several days and seven stops. Today, most travellers stop once, usually in Singapore, Dubai or Perth. Qantas already flies non-stop from Perth to London, which takes about 17 hours.
Sydney to London is due to launch in October 2027, with flights expected to go on sale in early 2027. Sydney to New York is planned to follow. Qantas says the non-stop flight will take about 22 hours and save up to four hours compared with a one-stop journey. The start date has slipped from earlier targets, mainly because of supply chain delays at Airbus.
The plane, and how passengers will cope
No passenger jet in Qantas’ fleet can fly that far with a full load, so it has ordered 12 Airbus A350-1000ULR aircraft, short for ultra-long range. Each has an extra fuel tank, which lets it carry enough fuel for the distance.
To save weight and give people more space, the planes will carry 238 passengers, far fewer than a standard A350-1000. There will be six First suites, 52 Business seats, 40 Premium Economy seats and 140 Economy seats, plus a “Wellbeing Zone” between cabins where passengers can stretch, move around and get a drink.
Qantas has been studying how to reduce jet lag on long flights, including research with the University of Sydney’s Charles Perkins Centre, and tested the idea with research flights from New York and London to Sydney in 2019 that took around 19 hours. Lighting, meal times and menus are designed to help passengers adjust to the time zone at their destination.
Qantas sees Project Sunrise as a premium product, aimed especially at business travellers willing to pay more to save time. Whether it pays off will depend on how many people are willing to sit still for nearly a full day.
