Qantas’ first Project Sunrise aircraft has completed its maiden flight and the airline says it will announce the first route and its timing later this month.
The near-decade long project has been hit by delays, but QF says the test flight of the Airbus A350-1000ULR was a ‘significant milestone’ ahead of the launch of commercial flights.
The ultra long-haul flights will connect Australia’s east coast to London and New York, non-stop, for the first time. QF has said the US flight will be in addition to its Sydney Auckland-New York (JFK) service.
. . . Testing
The test flight marks the start of a two-month flight test campaign to certify this was focused on testing the aircraft’s primary systems that includes the specialised fuel system, which adds an additional 20,000 litre centre fuel tank that will enable commercial flights of up to 22 hours covering 17,000km. The aircraft flew from Toulouse yesterday afternoon local time making a flight of three hours 43 minutes over France and the French Atlantic Coast.
It will 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, QF says.
This includes certifying a new galley air cooling system that features lighter and more efficient refrigeration units. This system will be rolled out across all future A350 aircraft. The near-decade long project has been hit by delays, but QF says the test flight of the Airbus A350-1000ULR was a ‘significant milestone’ ahead of the launch of commercial flights.
The ultra long-haul flights will connect Australia’s east coast to London and New York, non-stop, for the first time. QF has said the US flight will be in addition to its Sydney Auckland-New York (JFK) service.
. . . Sneak Peek
To get a sneak peek of the new plane, check out this clip HERE.
