Continuous passenger flights between London and Sydney are expected to begin in late 2025. The flight is likely to take 19 hours to the south and up to two hours to the north due to the effects of the jet stream. But its success will depend on the reopening of Russian airspace.
The shortest route between Heathrow and the largest city in Australia is about 16,800 km (10,570 miles).
The London-Sydney flight will be more than 1,600 km (1,000 miles) longer than the current longest trade route in the world, connecting Singapore and New York.
Qantas has announced an order for a dozen Airbus A350-1000 specially adapted aircraft to be used for new non-stop connections from Sydney to London and New York. The last route, measuring 15,900 km (9,940 miles), is mainly through the Pacific Ocean and US airspace.
The Australian airline launched direct flights between Heathrow and Perth, covering 14,500 km (9,009 miles), in 2018. They were suspended for two years due to the coronavirus pandemic, but were resumed in March.
The original plan was for ultra-long-haul flights to begin in early 2023. But the Covid crisis – and the accompanying closure of Australia’s borders for almost two years – brought back the so-called “Project Sunrise”.
The new connection will depend on the reopening of Russian airspace to Western airlines. The most direct route between London and Sydney is near Moscow.
A further route to avoid overflying Russia would add at least 800 km (500 miles) and one hour to the flight time, which could affect the payload the aircraft can carry and its financial viability.
Qantas has been planning the Sunrise project for five years. It flew non-stop for the first time from London to Sydney in 1989, and other advertising flights took place in 2019.
The airline chose the A350 over the latest Boeing 777X. Airbus will add an additional fuel tank and slightly increase the maximum take-off weight for the new connection.
The aircraft manufacturer sent a specially decorated A350 to Sydney for launch, with the words “Our spirit flies farther” and “#LongRangeLeader”.
Qantas CEO Alan Joyce believes that demand for a continuous link between the UK and Australia will be higher than ever due to fears of intermediate stops in the coronavirus era.
This year’s non-stop flights between London and Perth are proving extremely popular because they avoid restrictions on travel to other countries.
More than 40 percent of the cabin will be dedicated to first-class seating and will have a “wellness area”
(Qantas)
Mr Joyce said: “For more than 100 years, Qantas has been at the forefront of transforming the way the world travels, especially through direct flights.
“Now the A350 and Project Sunrise will make almost every city in the world just one flight from Australia. This is the last frontier and the final solution to the tyranny of distance that traditionally causes travel to Australia.
He said that while the first flights will connect Sydney with London and New York, in the future direct connections to destinations such as Paris and Frankfurt will be possible.
The aircraft will be equipped with 238 seats, which Qantas said was the lowest of any other A350-1000 in operation, and more than 40 percent of the cabin will be dedicated to first-class seats. There will also be a Welfare Zone on board.
Sean Moulton, an airline schedule analyst, said: “Covid makes ultra-long-haul routes more attractive by skipping stops if border rules change.
“Qantas can grow on its very successful Perth-London route by adding direct flights to Sydney and Melbourne.”
Ultra-long-haul flights between the United Kingdom and Australia are more harmful to the environment than one-stop flights due to the enormous weight of the fuel they have to carry. Qantas says the new flights “will be carbon neutral, with all emissions offset.”
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