On June 2 in Toulouse, the Airbus A350-1000ULR with serial number MSN 707 took its maiden flight — the first of 12 aircraft ordered by Australian Qantas. The flight lasted 3 hours and 43 minutes over France and the Atlantic coast. On board were two Airbus test pilots and three engineers.
Why a new aircraft type at all
The Sydney-London route — 17,000 kilometers — was previously considered commercially unviable without an intermediate stop. A standard A350-1000 falls short: insufficient fuel. The ULR version received an additional rear center tank with 20,000 liters capacity, increased maximum takeoff weight, and reinforced wing structure. This enables up to 22 hours of continuous flight — or, as Qantas explains, enough to see the sunrise twice during the journey. Hence the name of the internal project: Project Sunrise.
Notably, Qantas initially considered the Boeing 777X, but after lengthy negotiations chose Airbus. According to Simple Flying, one factor was the A350's ability to handle exactly 22-hour operations without critical loss of cabin comfort.
Where's the delay
The project was announced back in 2017. The first commercial flight was planned for 2025, then moved to 2026, and now the official date is April 2027. The latest reason — supply chain disruptions, which Airbus has publicly acknowledged: critical components for the special version are harder to obtain than for standard modifications.
"Preparations for Project Sunrise are underway: the first A350-1000ULR is already in the paint shop in Toulouse, pilot training on the simulator in Sydney has begun."
— Qantas, official statement on the eve of the first flight
What the cabin says about the business model
22 hours in the air — a separate challenge for the carrier. Qantas developed the cabin concept together with the University of Sydney (Charles Perkins Centre) and design bureau Caon. The result: a special Wellbeing Zone — an area for movement with guided exercises and healthy snacks, accessible to all classes. This is not merely marketing: the airline publicly cites scientific research on reducing jet lag and thrombosis during ultra-long flights.
Economy class gets 83.8 cm pitch between rows and a 13-inch screen — more than most long-haul fleets. However, tickets for the direct 22-hour route are unlikely to be cheaper than connecting routes via Dubai or Singapore.
What's next
Currently, MSN 707 is undergoing a series of flight tests. Qantas promises to announce the first commercial route and ticket sales date "this month." If deliveries stay on schedule for April 2027, Sydney-London will become the longest regular flight in commercial aviation history, surpassing Singapore Airlines SQ22 (Singapore-New York, ~18 hours).
The question that remains open: is the average passenger ready to pay a premium for a direct flight — if competitors offer a stopover in Dubai at significantly lower prices with the chance to stretch their legs? The answer will emerge once Qantas opens bookings and the market reveals actual demand, rather than just hype around the "aviation frontier."
