The Airbus A350-1000ULR built to operate Qantas’ world-first non-stop Sydney to London flights has landed in Australia for the first time, marking a major milestone in the Project Sunrise flight test campaign.
Reported by Karryon last week, the first Qantas Project Sunrise A350 to fly Down Under touched down in Melbourne today, arriving from Airbus’ manufacturing facility in Toulouse after an extensive test flight.
From October 2027, the aircraft will operate Qantas’ non-stop Sydney to London services, the longest non-stop commercial flights in the world. Seats go on sale in February 2027.
The Sydney to London route will save travellers up to four hours compared with the fastest one-stop service available today, and will run alongside Qantas’ existing Perth to London and Sydney to Singapore to London services.
What was being tested on this flight
The Toulouse test flight was operated by four Airbus flight test pilots and five flight test engineers, putting the aircraft’s systems through their paces.
Central to the campaign is a redesigned fuel system, including an additional 20,000-litre fuel tank that allows the aircraft to fly commercially non-stop for up to 22 hours.
The aircraft completed its first flight on 2 June 2026, and Airbus test teams have since carried out extensive ground and in-air testing in Toulouse.
The return flight to Toulouse departs Melbourne on Monday 27 July as part of the Airbus flight test program, with two Qantas pilots joining the Airbus flight test crew for the journey back to France.
Meet Vega, the first A350 in Qantas livery
The first A350-1000ULR painted in Qantas livery, named Vega, continues to take shape on the Airbus final assembly line.
Vega will be the first Project Sunrise aircraft delivered to Qantas, in April 2027.
In total, Qantas will take delivery of 12 A350-1000ULR aircraft, each specifically manufactured by Airbus for the project.
What it means for selling the world’s longest flight
Each aircraft is configured with 238 seats across four cabins, a lower-density layout that signals a premium-heavy product built for ultra long-haul comfort.
With the United Kingdom among the top outbound destinations for Australian travellers, the non-stop Sydney link removes a transit stop and shaves hours off the journey, a clear draw for premium leisure and corporate clients alike.
The first Project Sunrise Sydney to London services go on sale in February 2027, with flights beginning in October 2027.
The test flight’s arrival came on the same day as Qantas and Melbourne Airport signed a commercial agreement that will support the airport’s $4.5 billion international terminal expansion and the delivery of a third runway in 2031. Read more about that here.
KARRYON UNPACKS: Two years out, the arrival of the test jet turns Project Sunrise from a concept into something travellers and travel advisors can start planning around. With a February 2027 on-sale and a 238-seat, four-cabin layout, this is a premium-led product for the UK market, one of Australia’s busiest outbound routes.
