The first Airbus A350-1000ULR built for Qantas' Project Sunrise completed a nonstop flight from Toulouse to Melbourne on Friday, arriving in Australia after approximately 19 hours and 11 minutes as part of the certification program for the ultra-long-range variant.
Operating with Airbus flight-test crews on board, the aircraft departed Toulouse on July 23 and followed a route over Italy, the Mediterranean Sea, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the Indian Ocean before reaching Australia. During the flight, it climbed to a maximum altitude of 41,000 ft.
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July 22, 2026
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The aircraft carried four Airbus test pilots and five flight-test engineers, who evaluated its systems during the journey, including the additional 20,000-liter rear center fuel tank that enables flights of up to 22 hours. The return flight to Toulouse is scheduled for July 27, when two Qantas pilots will join the Airbus crew.
The flight forms part of a 75-80-hour certification campaign for the A350-1000ULR, which completed its maiden flight on June 2 and has since undergone ground and flight testing in France, including evaluations of its redesigned fuel system.
Although assigned to the Project Sunrise program, the aircraft that flew to Melbourne has not yet been painted in Qantas colors. The airline's first production aircraft, named Vega, remains on Airbus' final assembly line and is scheduled for delivery in April 2027.
Qantas plans to use the A350-1000ULR to launch nonstop flights between Sydney and London in October 2027. The service is expected to become the world's longest scheduled nonstop passenger route, with flight times of up to 22 hours.
The Australian carrier has ordered 12 A350-1000ULRs, each configured with 238 seats across four cabins.
