Qantas Airbus A350-1000ULR completes 24‑hour nonstop test, sets record

Qantas Airbus A350-1000ULR Project Sunrise 24‑hour nonstop test record flight

Qantas and Airbus successfully completed a 24‑hour 24‑minute nonstop test flight of an A350‑1000 Ultra Long Range (ULR) from Melbourne, Australia, to Toulouse, France. The aircraft covered about 23,076 km (12,460 nm) and landed after a continuous flight that set a new record for the longest nonstop journey by a large commercial aircraft.

The test carried no passengers; only 12 crew members – Qantas pilots, Airbus test pilots and engineers – were on board. The plane was equipped with an additional rear centre fuel tank holding roughly 20,000 litres and was powered by two Rolls‑Royce Trent XWB‑97 engines. Over 3.6 million people tracked the flight on Flightradar24, making it the second‑most‑tracked flight in the service’s history.

The flight is part of Qantas’ Project Sunrise, which aims to launch daily nonstop services between Sydney and London (and later New York) by October 2027. The production version will feature a low‑density cabin with 238 seats and a dedicated “Wellbeing Zone” to improve passenger comfort on ultra‑long routes.

Entities

A350-1000ULR · A350‑1000ULR · Airbus · Airbus A350‑1000 Ultra Long Range · Airbus SE · Melbourne Airport · Melbourne, Australia · Project Sunrise · Qantas Airways · Qantas Airways Ltd. · Sydney · Toulouse, France

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

[● 14 SOURCES] The cabin will have 238 seats and include a “Wellbeing Zone” for passenger comfort on ultra‑long flights. www.merkur.de · www.secretchina.com · cn.nytimes.com · www.op-online.de · www.dagsavisen.no · +9 more
[● 14 SOURCES] The cabin will have 238 seats and a dedicated Wellbeing Zone for passenger comfort. www.merkur.de · www.secretchina.com · cn.nytimes.com · www.op-online.de · www.dagsavisen.no · +8 more
[● 17 SOURCES] No passengers were on board; only 12 crew members (test pilots, Qantas pilots and Airbus engineers). www.merkur.de · www.secretchina.com · cn.nytimes.com · www.op-online.de · www.dagsavisen.no · +12 more
[● 17 SOURCES] More than 3.6 million people tracked the flight on Flightradar24, making it the second‑most‑tracked flight in the service’s history. www.merkur.de · www.secretchina.com · cn.nytimes.com · www.op-online.de · www.dagsavisen.no · +12 more
[● 14 SOURCES] Qantas expects the future Sydney‑London flight to take about 19 to 21 hours. www.merkur.de · www.secretchina.com · cn.nytimes.com · www.op-online.de · www.catalunyapress.cat · +8 more
[● 17 SOURCES] The aircraft is an Airbus A350‑1000 Ultra Long Range with an additional rear fuel tank holding 20,000 litres. www.merkur.de · www.secretchina.com · cn.nytimes.com · www.op-online.de · www.dagsavisen.no · +12 more
[● 4 SOURCES] The flight set a record for the longest continuous flight by a large commercial aircraft. www.merkur.de · www.secretchina.com · cn.nytimes.com · www.op-online.de
[● 17 SOURCES] The aircraft covered about 23,076 km (12,460 nautical miles). www.merkur.de · www.secretchina.com · cn.nytimes.com · www.op-online.de · www.dagsavisen.no · +12 more
[● 15 SOURCES] The aircraft cabin will have 238 seats and a dedicated Wellbeing Zone for passenger comfort. www.dagsavisen.no · www.merkur.de · www.secretchina.com · www.catalunyapress.cat · cn.nytimes.com · +10 more
[● 14 SOURCES] Qantas has ordered twelve A350‑1000ULR jets for Project Sunrise. www.merkur.de · www.secretchina.com · www.op-online.de · www.dagsavisen.no · www.commonwealthunion.com · +8 more
[● 5 SOURCES] No passengers were on board; the flight carried only test pilots and engineers. www.dagsavisen.no · www.merkur.de · www.secretchina.com · cn.nytimes.com · www.op-online.de
[● 3 SOURCES] Over 3.6 million people tracked the flight on Flightradar24. www.merkur.de · www.secretchina.com · www.op-online.de