THE world’s longest non-stop flight is taking off next year – with new images revealing a first look at the aircraft with anti jet lag cabins and private suites.
Qantas’ Project Sunrise will be a non-stop 20-hour-plus flight between London and Sydney.
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Expected to launch in the first half of 2027, the Airbus A350, from Australia’s flagship carrier, will serve two routes – one between the East Coast of Australia and London and the other between the East Coast of Australia and New York.
With flight times up to 22 hours, this makes it the longest nonstop flight in the world – beating the current 18.5 hour flight from Singapore to New York.
Inside, passengers can expect First Class suites, Business Class, Premium Economy and Economy seats.
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There will also be a Wellbeing Zone onboard, which will be a space where passengers can get up and move about and tune into with guided wellbeing content as well as grab a healthy snack or drink.
The space is open to all passengers too.
Passengers will also benefit from free Wi-Fi in all cabins and Bluetooth connectivity.
In First Class, there will be six enclosed cabins each with a two-metre-long bed that lies flat.
If you want to stay seated, there will be a separate reclining armchair as well.
In comparison, the 52 Business suites will feature sliding doors to create some privacy.
The 40 Premium Economy seats come with a 20.3cm “winged privacy headrest” and a calf rest, to keep comfy on the 22-hour flight.
Economy passengers haven’t been forgotten either, with 140 seats offering 83.8cm of legroom each.
Rather cleverly, the entire plane features 12 lighting scenes which include Sunrise and Sunset.
Each scene will be played at specific times to help passengers’ circadian-rhythm sync with their destination’s time zone, ultimately helping to reduce jet lag.
In total there will be 12 aircraft, with one aircraft entering the final stages of production this week before two months of testing.
Via social media, Qantas also shared on April 13 that engines had been installed in the first Project Sunrise aircraft.
In a separate post, Qantas said: “The first Airbus A350-1000ULR rolled out of the hangar in Toulouse this week, with its Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines fitted and ready to start final ground checks and a two-month flight testing campaign.
“From next year, these aircraft will carry our customers non-stop from Sydney to London and New York for the first time ever – reducing flying time by up to four hours.”
The airline also teased that “its first test flight is just around the corner”.
When the flight route eventually launches, it is expected to cut four hours off of current flight times, which also usually involve a stop to refuel.
This will be possible due to an extra 20,000 litre fuel tank at the rear of each plane.
Qantas first announced plans to launch Project Sunrise back in 2017, though the ambitious project has faced delays as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and supply chain issues.
Details of how regularly the flight will travel between London and Sydney are yet to be announced, as are the prices.
In other flight news, the UK is getting a new flight route to world’s best airport – under four hours away.
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