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Qantas’ first Project Sunrise A350-1000ULR has conducted its inaugural test flight.
The specially-fitted plane took off from Airbus’ facility in Toulouse on Tuesday for a three-hour and 43-minute flight over France and the French Atlantic coast. It comes as the second aircraft progresses through the final assembly line.
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“The flight was focused on testing the aircraft’s primary systems including the jet’s specialised fuel system, which includes an additional 20,000 litre rear centre fuel tank that will enable commercial flights of up to 22 hours non-stop,” Qantas said in a statement.
“The successful first flight marks the beginning of a two-month testing campaign, with the aircraft to complete around 80 hours of flight testing and undergo extensive on-ground checks and certification of new and redesigned components that will enable the A350 to fly ultra-long-haul sectors.
“This includes certifying a new galley air cooling system which features lighter and more efficient refrigeration units, which will be rolled out across all future Airbus A350 aircraft.”
Qantas chief technical pilot Alex Passerini said the airline is excited to take this major step towards the launch of Project Sunrise.
“Having talked about it for quite a while now, after 2017, to see it out there flying is just super exciting,” he said.
“The Airbus pilots will go through a number of test scenarios looking at some of the changes that were made specific for our aircraft, but also some of the evolutions of existing systems that have been developed for Sunrise that may also roll out to other A350s.”
Qantas and Airbus confirmed last month that the A350-1000ULR’s arrival in Australia would be again delayed to early next year due to supply chain issues, pushing back the commercial launch further into 2027.
“Qantas ordered 12 A350-1000ULRs in May 2022, which will operate the first non-stop services from the East Coast of Australia to New York and London,” the airline said in May.
“When these services take off, passengers will save up to four hours off the journey. Three aircraft are needed to run a daily non-stop service on either route.
“While the first aircraft delivery has shifted to April 2027, the next four will follow in quick succession, putting us back on our original schedule by November.”
The flight testing program will check systems, performance, and certification, including the extra 20,000-litre rear-centre fuel tank that will enable non-stop 22-hour flights. Final preparations will be needed in Australia before services begin, including training flights and regulatory approvals.
Qantas will announce timings and destinations for its first Project Sunrise commercial service later this month.
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