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[BUSINESS] · Australia, France · 100 sources

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Airbus A350‑1000ULR Sets 24‑Hour Non‑Stop Record for Qantas Project Sunrise

On 27‑28 July 2026 an Airbus‑built A350‑1000ULR (registration F‑WULR) completed a nonstop test flight from Melbourne, Australia to Toulouse, France. The flight lasted 24 hours 24 minutes (about 24 hours 25 minutes according to Flightradar24) and covered roughly 23 075 km (12 460 NM). The aircraft carried no passengers, only the test crew – six pilots, five engineers and several tonnes of instrumentation – and was equipped with a rear‑center fuel tank of about 20 000 litres, Rolls‑Royce Trent XWB‑97 engines and a higher maximum take‑off weight.

The mission broke the previous longest‑duration passenger‑aircraft record set by a Boeing 777‑200LR in 2005 (22 h 42 m, 21 596 km). It attracted massive public interest; Flightradar24 reported over 3.6 million total viewers, making it the second‑most‑watched flight after the 2024 flight carrying Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin. The flight was part of Qantas’ “Project Sunrise”, for which the airline has ordered twelve A350‑1000ULR jets. Qantas intends to launch nonstop Sydney‑London services in October 2027, followed later by Sydney‑New York routes, with flight times of 19‑22 hours.

Entities

A350-1000 ULR · A350‑1000ULR · Airbus · Airbus A350-1000ULR · Flightradar24 · Melbourne · Project Sunrise · Qantas Airways · Rolls‑Royce Trent XWB‑97 · Toulouse

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