Qantas unveils Airbus A350-1000ULR for ultra-long-haul project sunrise

Qantas has unveiled its first Airbus A350-1000ULR aircraft, which will be utilized for the 'Project Sunrise' initiative. The airline plans to operate non-stop flights between Sydney and New York, as well as Sydney and London, starting next year. The journey to New York will take approximately 22 hours and cover roughly 10,000 miles. Equipped with Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines, the aircraft is currently undergoing a two-month flight test campaign in Toulouse. Once operational, these flights aim to surpass existing records, including those held by Singapore Airlines' 18-hour and 45-minute flight and Xiamen Air's 19-hour and 20-minute route. The project name references historic 'Double Sunrise' flights from World War II. The company states that these direct routes will reduce total travel time by up to four hours.