Qantas to unveil first Project Sunrise route from Australia

Qantas Airways has turned Project Sunrise into a test of whether the world will pay for time savings that come at a brutal physical cost. The airline is weighing direct service from Australia’s east coast to London or New York, a move designed to bypass Middle East and Asian hubs and sell ultra-long-haul flying as a premium product, not an aviation stunt.

The project has been in development since 2017, when Qantas first announced plans for nonstop links between Australia and London and New York. The carrier chose the Airbus A350-1000ULR for the program and ordered 12 of the aircraft in May 2022. Qantas now says the first jet is due in April 2027, with service targeted after years of delays.

The airline’s newest milestone came when the maiden test flight of its Project Sunrise A350-1000ULR was completed on June 9, 2026. Airbus says certification testing for the production aircraft will run for about two months and include roughly 80 hours of flight tests, underscoring how much engineering still stands between the concept and regular service.

What Qantas is trying to build is a route that can cut out layovers for travelers who value speed enough to pay for it. The company says nonstop flights from the east coast of Australia to London and New York could trim as much as four hours from one-stop itineraries. Executives have said the trips would take about 18 to 20 hours, and in some wind and routing conditions stretch closer to 22 hours.

That duration is central to the business case. Qantas has invested billions in new aircraft, cabin design and research into the health effects of spending so long in the air, because the airline will have to convince passengers that the premium is worth it. The likely customers are business travelers, affluent leisure flyers and anyone willing to trade a stop for a higher fare and a longer stretch in the seat.

The competitive stakes are broader than one route. Qantas already serves New York from Sydney via Auckland, but Project Sunrise would create a different proposition: nonstop long-haul flying from Australia’s east coast into major global cities. If Qantas can make the economics work, the airline could reshape premium long-haul competition and set a precedent for other carriers considering similar routes. If it cannot, the project will remain one of commercial aviation’s most ambitious and expensive experiments.