Project Sunrise test flight successfully lands in Melbourne

Flight AIB35LR was operated by four Airbus pilots and five flight test engineers who were measuring how the aircraft and twenty-thousand litre fuel tank holds up on one of the longest flights in the world.

The Airbus aircraft was designed specifically for Qantas’ world-first, ultra-long haul services which from October 2027, will take passengers from Sydney to London directly.

Qantas has confirmed that two of their pilots will be joining the Airbus crew on another long-haul test flight back to the Airbus headquarters in France, departing on Monday July 26.

The flight was the most tracked in the world, with 70,000 people live-tracking on FlightRadar24 at the time of landing, an indication of just how much public interest Project Sunrise is generating before tickets have even gone on sale.

The aircraft underwent its first test flight on June 2, where Airbus teams flew for just over three hours to evaluate system and fuel performance.

“In the weeks since, Airbus’ test teams have carried out extensive testing on the ground and in the air in Toulouse, including of the aircraft’s redesigned fuel system,” Qantas said in a statement.

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Tickets will go on sale in February 2027, with Vega, the first aircraft to be delivered in April.

Twelve A350-1000ULR aircraft are expected to be delivered to the airline and feature 238 seats across four cabins, with comfort at the forefront of passengers’ minds for the twenty-two hour flight duration.

The cabin will include a ‘wellbeing zone’ between economy and premium economy which will have guided stretching and movement videos, water stations, and self serve snacks to further promote passenger ease.