Airbus A350 Flies 24 Hours Non-Stop From Australia to France In Record-Breaking Test

As part of Qantas Airways’ Project Sunrise, Airbus’s A350-1000ULR (MSN 707) has completed a record-breaking, 24-hour and 24-minute non-stop test flight from Melbourne, Australia, to Toulouse, France.

Completed on the morning of Tuesday, July 28th, this flight was the second leg of a two-part voyage classified as a “development” flight test. During the first leg, the ultra-long-range variant of the Airbus A350-1000 flew nonstop from Toulouse to Melbourne in just over 19 hours.

Powered by two Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 engines, the specially modified Airbus A350-1000 is being developed for Qantas Airways to enable non-stop commercial flights from Sydney to London or New York, with flight times of up to 22 hours starting in 2027.

Compared to the baseline A350-1000, this ultra-long-range variant boasts a Rear Centre Tank (RCT) that boosts fuel capacity by 20,000 litres, ensuring the 21-hour flight time required for Qantas’ forthcoming “Project Sunrise”. 

According to Airbus, the goal of this test flight is to demonstrate that the aircraft can perform a 23-hour ‘block time’ flight, ensuring Qantas can achieve its intended 21-hour, 40-minute flight time for the forthcoming “Project Sunrise” routes.

“To manage fatigue during the 20 to 23-hour flights, we implemented four-hour shifts for each pilot, but we rotated the crew every two hours,” said Airbus Test Pilot Xavier Pepin, who captained the aircraft on its longest-ever flight, covering a distance of 12,460 nm. 

“Additionally, for the second flight leg, at least one Airbus test pilot was always seated in a pilot seat when a Qantas pilot was in the other seat to ensure mission safety, as Airbus holds responsibility for the operation. We have applied this same structure to manage rest periods effectively.”

For the A350-1000ULR, Qantas has specified a 238-passenger configuration comprising six First Class suites, 52 Business suites, 40 Premium Economy seats, and 140 in Economy. Additionally, the aircraft features a wellbeing zone where passengers can stretch during long flights.

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