First Qantas Project Sunrise aircraft makes progress

Qantas’ first non-stop, ultra-long-haul Project Sunrise flights will go on sale from the middle of this year as delivery of the first Airbus A350-1000ULR (ultra-long-range) aircraft is on track for the end of 2026 and service launch in mid-2027.

The launch of Project Sunrise services, connecting Australia’s east coast with London and New York, will mark the culmination of more than 10 years of work by the airline, aircraft and engine manufacturers.

“It’s something we have wanted to do for a long time,” William Osmond, executive director, group fleet strategy, planning and investment at Qantas told the audience at a Royal Aeronautical Society Australian Division webinar.

The launch of non-stop Sydney-London Heathrow flights will be a natural evolution of the “Kangaroo Route”, which was first served by Qantas in 1947 with a Lockheed Constellation, carrying 29 passengers and taking 60 hours, says Osmond.

Direct Sydney-London Project Sunrise flights will take about 20 hours, shaving four hours off one-stop services currently operating via Singapore. London Heathrow and New York JFK are currently the two largest corporate and premium leisure markets not served by a non-stop flight from Australia’s east coast, says Osmond.

The London Project Sunrise flights will complement the airline’s existing services to the UK capital, including the direct Perth-London service and one-stop flights from the east coast. Competition is strong on services between London/Europe and Australia, but competitors will not be able to replicate Project Sunrise operations in the near term, says Osmond.

Qantas is scheduled to receive all 12 A350-1000ULRs on order by 2029. The first two aircraft are progressing on the production line, with first flights just weeks away.

With the A350-1000 certificated and flying since 2017, the flight test program for the A350-1000ULR variant will focus on the fuel system and modifications to support the additional range, with the aircraft featuring an additional fuel tank.

More than 65 Qantas engineers have been type trained on the A350-1000ULR, pilot training is under way, while lots of activity has started to get the airports ready, says Osmond.

Qantas selected the A350-1000ULR over the competing Boeing 777-8X in 2022.

“Both would do the job very well,” says Osmond. While the 777-8X offered a slightly longer range than the A350 — 9200 nautical miles compared with 8800 nautical miles — the A350 offered greater fuel efficiency.

“Fuel efficiency was key,” says Osmond.

The onboard customer experience was also key to the project, with customers particularly responsive to non-stop flights in premium cabins. As a result, 40 per cent of the 238 seats onboard the A350-1000ULRs will be in premium cabins — “well beyond what we’ve done in the past,” says Osmond.

A very important element of the onboard product is the Wellbeing Zone, providing economy class passengers with somewhere to go to stretch their legs on 20-hour London and 19-hour New York flights, as well as hydration stations.

The onboard product will be an evolution of the airline’s current product and service, with improved seat features and adjusted service to enable improved and unbroken sleep, in addition to a 12-scene lighting sequence to manage circadian rhythms and an active humidification system. “The sleep experience will be fantastic,” Osmond says.

The onboard product and service have been designed to alleviate anxiety associated with the unknown experience of flying 19-plus hours, explains Osmond, with high-speed wi-fi a must on the flights to retain a sense of connection. Qantas plans to continue with its existing connectivity provider Viasat on the Project Sunrise aircraft rather than opting for a low Earth orbit service like SpaceX’s Starlink service, which is rapidly being adopted by airlines around the world.

“We waited very patiently to get coverage in this part of the world,” says Osmond, adding recent developments by Viasat mean it is a “good partner to take us forward”.

Qantas expects the Project Sunrise non-stop services to be very well received, just as the ultra-long-haul operations from Perth have been. But don’t expect many discount fares on the routes.

“It will be the premium end of the business that we’ll attract,” Osmond predicts.