Qantas has confirmed the launch date for its hotly anticipated nonstop service between Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport (SYD) and London Heathrow Airport (LHR). The carrier says the first flights under the Project Sunrise program will begin in October 2027, and the route will immediately become the world’s longest scheduled commercial flight, at up to 22 hours.

The airline has also delivered an update on its slated nonstop flights from Sydney to New York JFK (JFK), stating that this route will launch later in 2027. Qantas will use its special fleet of 12 Airbus A350-1000ULR jets specially built by the European planemaker to support the carrier’s Project Sunrise initiative.

Qantas To Launch Sydney-London In October 2027

Credit: Qantas

Speaking during a visit to Airbus’ Toulouse facility to unveil its first A350-1000ULR in livery, Qantas Group CEO Vanessa Hudson revealed that the record-breaking nonstop route between Sydney and London will begin in time for the IATA 2027-2028 Winter Season. The first flight is scheduled for October 2027.

This will mark over a decade since the Australian carrier announced its ambitions to connect Sydney to London and New York with nonstop flights, an undertaking that no commercial aircraft at the time was capable of achieving. The latter route to the US East Coast will follow just a few months after Qantas begins its London service, with Hudson stating it will launch towards the end of 2027, with a confirmed date to be announced early next year.

In order to operate this route, Airbus developed the A350-1000ULR (Ultra Long Range), which extends the base A350-1000 model’s range by 1,000 nautical miles (1,852 km) by adding a 20,000-liter rear center fuel tank. Manufactured specially for Qantas, this extra range puts both Sydney-London and Sydney-New York within safe operating limits. The carrier has a total of 12 A350-1000ULR’s on order, along with another 12 A350-1000LR (Long Range) widebodies to come. CEO Hudson commented:

“Since we first flew the Kangaroo Route in 1947, where we stopped seven times on the way to London, every generation of aircraft has taken a stop out of the journey. Today, we’re taking out the last one.”

Tickets On Sale In Early 2027

Credit: Qantas

Fares for the historic flights between Sydney and London will go on sale in February 2027. Though some have balked at the idea of over 20 hours nonstop on an aircraft, Qantas says the flight will help cut up to four hours off the typical travel time between Sydney and London on its existing service, QF1/QF2, which involves a brief stopover in Singapore.

Its longstanding ambitions to connect Sydney with London and New York nonstop have been years in the making, with Qantas first floating the idea back in 2017. At a distance of 10,573 miles (17,015 km), the flight time is expected to take up to 22 hours and will leapfrog Singapore Airlines’ Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) to Newark Liberty International (EWR) nonstop service, which is blocked at almost 19 hours.

Qantas has flown from Sydney to London since 1947. In its early years, the flight gained the nickname ‘The Kangaroo Route’ due to the large number of stopovers, or hops, needed to fly between Australia and the UK. The original flight took a whopping four days and involved seven stops in Darwin, Singapore, Calcutta, Karachi, Cairo, Castel Benito, and Rome, before touching down in London.

First A350-1000ULR Deliveries Next Spring

Credit: Airbus

Qantas’ first A350-1000ULR was showcased with its full livery at an event in Toulouse this week, having completed its maiden flight at the beginning of the month. The airframe will continue to undergo flight and certification testing in France ahead of its expected delivery in April 2027.

According to Qantas, it needs three aircraft to operate a daily service on each route. With a total of 12 A350-1000ULRs due for delivery within the next three years, the carrier will have its eye on other possible ultra-long-haul routes. Melbourne-London and Melbourne-New York remain plausible options, while the jets can also be deployed on its existing Perth-London flight.

The A350-1000ULR will feature a premium-heavy four-class configuration with just 238 total seats, consisting of six first class suites, 52 business class seats, 40 premium economy seats, and 140 economy seats. With 40% of the aircraft’s total seats in premium cabins, total seating is well below the typical layout of an A350-1000 in service at other airlines, which usually offer around 330 seats or above.