Qantas will launch its world-first non-stop services between Sydney and London from Oct next year, and tickets will go on sale from Feb.
The new non-stop flights will cut up to four hours off the travel time compared to current one-stop services.
These ultra long-haul services will operate alongside QF’s existing Perth-LHR and SYD Singapore-LHR services. SYD-New York will be the next Project Sunrise flight with launch timing for these services to be announced next year.
QF Group ceo Vanessa Hudson says the Project Sunrise experience represents a fundamentally different approach to long-haul travel.
“Eliminating the stopover saves customers up to four hours of travel time. This aircraft has been designed from the ground up for ultra long-haul travel, with a cabin built around science and com batting jetlag, with an onboard experience purpose-built for the length of the journey.”
. . . Study Findings
Research for QF shows that Australians’ appetite for non-stop, ultra long-haul flying has continued to grow, with intent to book rising from 58% to 70% since Feb this year.
Among premium travellers, that figure reaches 80%, up 12 percentage points over the same period.
. . . 22-Hour Flights
The A350-1000ULR which will operate on the route has an additional 20,000-litre fuel tank that enables the aircraft to fly more than 16,000kms for up to 22 hours non-stop. QF will take delivery of 12 aircraft in total, each with 238 seats across four cabins in a premium-heavy configuration.
The carrier has previously said it will use the Tasman as a test ground for its Project Sunrise before commercial services take off.
