Qantas has revealed the cabin design for its Project Sunrise Airbus A350-1000ULR, which will launch the world-first, nonstop ultra-long-haul services between Sydney and London from October 2027.
The aircraft has been configured with just 238 seats – the lowest seat density of any A350 in the world – spread across First, Business, Premium Economy, Economy Plus and Economy.
The cabin will carry travellers between Australia’s east coast and the UK without a stopover, an ultra-long-haul product more than a decade in the making with the first-ever aircraft recently unveiled.
The layout draws on research with the University of Sydney’s Charles Perkins Centre and work with Caon Design Office with seating, lighting, dining and wellbeing designed to help customers rest, stretch out and arrive feeling refreshed.
What does the First cabin look like?
The A350-1000ULR will feature six enclosed First suites in a 1-1-1 configuration. Each has an 80-inch flatbed and a separate reclining armchair, a flexible work and dining space for one or two people, a full-length wardrobe and multiple storage areas.
The suites use a multi-layer memory foam mattress engineered for pressure distribution after months of testing to map peak pressure points. Lighting in each suite can be programmed to support travellers’ circadian rhythms and a digital exterior panel lets travellers discreetly communicate with crew.
How is Business changing
The 52 Business suites sit in a 1-2-1 configuration. For the first time, Qantas Business suites will feature a sliding door for privacy, plus an adjustable divider between the alternating centre seats.
Each suite includes an 80-inch flatbed, a large dining table and work surface and more storage. Flexible dining lets customers time meals with scientifically optimised windows, while luminescent lighting dims at set intervals to ease travellers towards sleep.
What about the back of the aircraft?
The 40-seat Premium Economy cabin, in a 2-4-2 layout, has been redesigned for ultra-long-haul. Every seat features an ergonomic leg- and calf-rest system, an eight-inch winged privacy headrest, dedicated storage and what will be the most generous seat pitch of any Qantas aircraft.
The 140-seat Economy cabin, in a 3-3-3 configuration, offers more Economy seat pitch overall than any current Qantas aircraft. The new seat uses a custom multilayer memory foam system and woven wool upholstery in an earthy Australian ‘Pilbara Red’ to improve breathability and temperature.
A new Qantas Economy Plus product sits at the front of the cabin with 42 seats offering a 34-inch pitch, priority boarding and priority access to overhead baggage space. More than 70 per cent of seats on the aircraft will offer a pitch of 33 inches or more.
Qantas Platinum One and Platinum Frequent Flyers receive complimentary Economy Plus access at booking and Gold Frequent Flyers from 24 hours before departure, subject to availability.
A world-first Wellbeing Zone
Qantas will be the first airline in the world to offer a purpose-built inflight Wellbeing Zone, located between the Premium Economy and Economy cabins.
The space features sculpted wall panels with integrated stretch handles, a guided on-screen movement program, a hydration station and a range of refreshments.
A new inflight entertainment system, described as the airline’s most significant upgrade in over a decade, adds an on-screen ‘journey planner’ synced to the cabin lighting that shows when meals are served and when the cabin dims for rest. It is available in 15 languages and includes a ‘watch together’ feature for up to four people with fast Wi-Fi and Bluetooth pairing across all cabins.
Qantas Group CEO Vanessa Hudson said: “Project Sunrise has given us the chance to think differently about every aspect of the onboard experience. Working closely with Charles Perkins Centre over many years, we’ve designed the experience around the science of what the body needs on a long flight, so customers arrive feeling their best.”
“This will be a completely new way to travel, and our customers are going to feel that from the moment they step on board.”
Further customer trials and testing are underway ahead of the first Project Sunrise flights in 2027 with the first Sydney-London service taking off from October next year after delivery of the first A350-1000ULR aircraft was postponed to April 2027.
Sydney to New York is confirmed as the next service to follow with launch timing to be announced next year.
KARRYON UNPACKS: The UK is a top outbound market for Australians and a nonstop Sydney-London option removes the single biggest pain point of the journey: the stopover. With a low-density cabin, an Economy Plus tier and a world-first Wellbeing Zone, this is a premium long-haul product to start framing with UK-bound clients ahead of the October 2027 launch.
