Just 80 years ago, a trip from London or New York to Sydney or Melbourne took more than a week.
A passenger plane capable of completing non-stop journeys is now in the final stages of construction, Qantas announced on Friday, releasing the first images of the plane being assembled.
The Airbus A350-1000ULR can fly for up to 22 hours continuously thanks to improvements such as a 20,000 liter rear central fuel tank. Qantas has dubbed its plans for an ultra-long-haul service ‘Project Sunrise’ because flights can take so long that dawn can occur twice.
If commercial flights are scheduled to begin operating in the first half of 2027, it would cut up to four hours from the time it currently takes to reach Australia’s east coast from London or New York.
Boeing’s 787-9 Dreamliner can fly nonstop for 17 hours to Perth on Australia’s west coast, but reaching the other side of the country has proven to be “aviation’s final frontier,” as Qantas said in an Instagram post on Friday.
The company has been working on the project since 2017, but it was delayed as the Covid-19 pandemic temporarily halted much of the aviation industry.
The airline has ordered 12 Airbus A350-1000ULRs for long-haul routes to and from Australia in 2022, with the first scheduled for delivery in October next year.
In an update on the project, Qantas released new images and footage of the aircraft showing various stages of assembly at Airbus’ headquarters in Toulouse, France.
First, the aircraft’s fuselage emerged from inside a special cargo plane known as the Airbus Beluga because of its resemblance to a beluga whale.
The fuselage was then taken to a hangar where engineers installed other parts of the plane. Qantas said all major parts of the aircraft have been assembled and will be transported to a new hangar for installation of engines and flight test equipment.
Qantas CEO Vanessa Hudson said in a statement that the project aims to “transform the way people experience ultra-long-haul travel, not only through breakthrough flight times, but through science-backed designs that minimize jet lag and maximize well-being.”
The aircraft will only have 238 seats, compared to approximately 400 seats on other A350-1000 aircraft. Instead, there will be space for a “dedicated wellbeing zone” between premium economy and economy cabins, as well as first class suites.
