New airliner sets record flying 24 hrs nonstop from Australia to France - Ars Technica

What the report says

Ars Technica reports that a new Airbus A350-1000ULR passenger jet completed a more than 24-hour nonstop test flight from Melbourne, Australia, to Toulouse, France, as Airbus and Qantas Airways prepare for planned ultra-long-haul commercial routes. The aircraft left Melbourne on July 27 and arrived in Toulouse on July 28 after 24 hours and 25 minutes in the air, covering 12,460 nautical miles, according to Airbus figures cited by the outlet.

The flight followed an earlier Toulouse-to-Melbourne test leg on July 23-24 that lasted 19 hours and 13 minutes. The aircraft was built for Qantas’ Project Sunrise, which aims to connect Sydney nonstop with London and New York, with ticket sales targeted for 2027. Qantas has ordered 12 of the A350-1000ULR jets. Airbus says the variant includes an additional rear center fuel tank holding 20,900 liters, extending range by 1,000 nautical miles.

Ars Technica says the test program also examined crew operations for flights expected to last roughly 20 to 23 hours. The aircraft includes a twin flight crew rest compartment, and the Melbourne-to-Toulouse leg included Airbus pilots, Qantas pilots and flight test engineers. Airbus test pilot Xavier Pepin described a staggered rotation system intended to manage fatigue and maintain cockpit overlap during shift changes.

If launched as planned, Qantas’ routes would exceed current scheduled nonstop records held by Singapore Airlines’ New York-Singapore service. Qantas expects Project Sunrise flights to take up to 21 hours and 40 minutes and to carry 238 passengers in a low-density configuration with premium seating, self-serve stations and a passenger stretching area. Ars Technica notes that fuel costs could affect pricing by 2027.