Qantas has confirmed its taking to the sky for ultra-long haul flights from 2025

The Australian airline has just announced a multi-billion dollar aircraft order to connect down under to London and New York in record time.

QANTAS has placed an order for a dozen Airbus A350’s for project sunrise, which will operate the world’s longest flights.

These aircraft will feature market-leading passenger comfort in each travel class with services scheduled to start by the end of calendar 2025 from Sydney.

The major aircraft order will reshape its international and domestic networks over the next decade and beyond.

The airline has been working on Project Sunrise for several years, aiming to slash the travel time to popular destinations for its passengers.

Qantas says customers can expect more direct routes and therefore less total travel time. They can expect higher levels of cabin comfort. 

The project was put on hold by COVID-19 over the past two years.

Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce says the A350 and Project Sunrise will make any city just one flight away from Australia.

“We have come through the other side of the pandemic a structurally different company. Our domestic market share is higher and the demand for direct international flights is even stronger than it was before COVID. The business case for Project Sunrise has an internal rate of return in the mid-teens,” Joyce says

“The Board’s decision to approve what is the largest aircraft order in Australian aviation is a clear vote of confidence in the future of the Qantas Group.”

As for the cost, the deal is commercial in confidence, though a significant discount from standard price should be assumed.

QANTAS says the new aircrafts will have major improvements in emissions, running costs and passenger comfort.

The duration of a flight from Australia to London is expected to be 20 hours and 20 minutes, now saving jet setters almost four hours.

Domestically, Qantas will start the renewal of its narrow body jets as part of ‘Project Winton’ with firm orders for 20 Airbus A321XLRs and 20 A220-300s as its Boeing 737s and 717s are gradually retired.

The first of these aircraft will start to arrive in late calendar 2023, with the order including purchase right options for another 94 aircraft for delivery through to at least 2034.

Deliveries to begin in 2025 and complete by 2028.