Qantas today announced plans to launch non-stop services between Sydney and New York from mid-2028—which will be the first non-stop commercial service between Australia and the ‘city that never sleeps’.
The flights, part of the Project Sunrise initiative are expected to cut more than three hours off the total travel time compared with current one-stop services via AKL. However, a QF spokesperson today confirmed that the move will mean ‘no change’ to its existing SYD- AKL-NYC services.
QF says its demand to/from New York has nearly doubled since 2023, as the appetite for non-stop, ultra-long-haul flying has continued to grow.
Vanessa Hudson, QF Group ceo, says reaching NYC non-stop completes a vision the carrier set out many years ago, ‘and it’s a moment of enormous pride for the thousands of our people who have been working hard to make Project Sunrise a reality’.
. . . Flights
The NYC Project Sunrise flights will be operated by specially configured A350-1000ULR aircraft, fitted with an additional 20,000-litre fuel tank that enables the aircraft to fly more than 16,000km, and up to 22hrs non-stop. The first test aircraft is currently in the final stages of its flight test program, and recently completed a record-breaking non-stop 24-hour and 24-minute flight between Melbourne to Toulouse, a commercial airliner first.
The first aircraft is expected to be delivered in Apr, and QF has an order for 12 of the aircraft in total, each configured with 238 seats across four cabins.
. . . Tickets
Tickets for the inaugural SYD to NYC service are set to go on sale from Aug 2027, ahead of the Project Sunrise SYD to London non-stop flights that are scheduled to begin in Oct 2027.
In preparation for the aircraft’s arrival, QF pilots have commenced training on Australia’s first A350 simulator in Sydney. More than 360 QF pilots and 1200 cabin crew will be trained to operate QF’s fleet of Project Sunrise aircraft by the time the 12th A350-1000ULR arrives.
