Qantas closes in on world’s longest commercial flight Business

The world’s longest commercial flight has come closer to reality after Qantas bought 12 Airbus jets that can travel from London or New York to Sydney in a single trip.

Airline bosses struck the deal as part of a long-running effort to kick off a 20-hour trip between the two cities they dubbed Project Sunrise.

It intends to add an additional fuel tank to the 12 long-haul Airbus A350-1000 aircraft in order to start operating flights from 2025.

The development brings the airline’s longstanding ambition for the 11,000-mile route closer to the finish line after it began work on the proposals in 2017.

Qantas already offers direct 17-hour flights from London to Perth in Western Australia.

But direct flights from London and New York to Sydney, Australia’s largest city and commercial capital, have always previously required a stopover to refuel and usually took 24 hours.

Seats on the jets will be divided into four classes – first, business, economy and premium economy – and prices have not yet been released.

The seats will have more space than normal and each jet will have space in the middle for stretching and snacks to help ease the discomfort of almost a full day on board.

Qantas has thrown down the gauntlet to carriers based in the Middle East who fly passengers from Europe to Australia and New Zealand cheaply with a stopover in Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Doha.

He will have to convince passengers that the four hours gained are more attractive than the possibility of traveling through an airport terminal.

Longer routes were attempted, with Boeing taking its 777-200LR model from Hong Kong to London via a 13,400 mile route, but this only had a limited number of passengers and crew on board.

The Airbus purchase ends speculation that Qantas may have opted for a competing plane made by Boeing for the route.

In 2019, he piloted a Boeing Dreamliner on a test flight between London and Sydney, completing the flight in just over 19 hours with 52 people.

Russia’s war with Ukraine has created challenges for airlines seeking to avoid Russian airspace.

Cathay Pacific plans to reroute its New York service to Hong Kong, adding nearly 2,000 miles and making a marathon of 10,357 miles and 17 hours, and the current record holder for the longest flight.