Qantas slowly but surely advances on its ambitious “Project Sunrise”: offering non -stop commercial flights between the east coast of Australia and several large cities of the globe. The objective is to directly link Sydney to London or New York, without going through the usual stops.
Flights of more than 19 hours on the program
To succeed in this bet, the company puts on a fleet of 12 Airbus A350-1000, modified to keep the distance. The first device is expected for the end of 2026. According to CEO Vanessa Hudson, the plane will come into production in September, which gives the company time to prepare its planned launch for ” early 2027 ».
Subscribe to WorldOfSoftware
But before embarking on his passengers for almost 20 hours of flight, Qantas will first have to carry out certification flights and local tests. Objective: to allow drivers and navigating staff to take charge of this new generation long-haul aircraft well. “” It will also be necessary to gradually integrate it into shorter flights, history that everyone gets used to “Said Vanessa Hudson on the sidelines of an Airbus event in Toulouse.
The first targeted destinations are logical: London and New York. But it will take at least three planes to ensure a daily connection between Sydney and each of these two cities. As other devices arrive, Qantas can extend its network.
The company already looks on the side of other well served cities like Dallas, or Auckland for flights to JFK. The existing Perth-London line is also in pipes. In all, Qantas will have enough planes to operate about four long distances in parallel.
This type of flight interests in particular, busy business travelers, but Qantas also sees it as an opportunity for freight. These Ultra-Long Version A350-1000 worn will allow more goods to be carried away, a very important point to balance costs.
During her visit to Toulouse, Vanessa Hudson also returned to a recent unexpected: a fire at Heathrow airport in London led to the closure of the site for 18 hours. As a result, two Qantas flights had to be diverted to Paris. The passengers were then sent by bus to London. A not very glamorous, and especially expensive detour for the company. “” These situations are very expensive to airlines “She said. For the moment, Qantas does not envisage legal action, unlike other carriers.
Qantas wants to establish himself as the specialist in very long non -stop flights. But will passengers follow the pace? Because these kinds of journeys require about twenty hours without moving from the plane! Qantas already carried out test flights in 2019 to assess the feasibility, and these journeys had lasted around 7:15 pm for New York – Sydney and 5:45 pm for London – Sydney.
🟣 To not miss any news on the Geek newspaper, subscribe to Google News and on our WhatsApp. And if you love us, .
