Qantas tests new ultra long-range Airbus in 17,000km direct flight from France to Melbourne | Qantas

Qantas’ new ultra-long-haul aircraft touched down on Australian soil for the first time on Friday after a 19-hour test flight from France.

Qantas’ Airbus A350-1000ULR, designed to complete some of the longest commercial flights in the world, embarked on a non-stop journey from Airbus’ Toulouse manufacturing facility in France to Melbourne on Thursday.

The aircraft are designed to fly non-stop for up to 22 hours for the company’s direct Sydney to London route, which is expected to begin in October 2027.

The test flight attracted the attention of transportation enthusiasts, with more than 67,000 people following the approximately 17,000 km route. flightradar24.com Friday morning – The most watched flight worldwide on Friday.

The air traffic website shows the plane took off from Toulouse at 7.33am local time on Thursday. IIt touched down in Melbourne at 10.46am local time, just over 19 hours later.

Qantas said in a statement that four Airbus flight test pilots and five flight test engineers conducted the testing of the model. They and the aircraft will remain in Melbourne over the weekend and then depart for Toulouse on Monday, with two Qantas pilots joining them.

Qantas chief technical pilot Alex Passerini told Channel Seven on Friday the return flight would take 23 hours as crews tested systems from fuel transfer to air conditioning.

Passerini said crew will be able to take regular rest breaks on board in line with the airline’s “data-driven” systems.

“Everybody will be tired,” Passerini said.

Qantas said the plane in flight was the first model to take to the skies. The A350–1000ULR first flew for three hours and 43 minutes over France and the French Atlantic coast on 2 June and has since undergone extensive testing.

The test model does not wear Qantas’ official white and red livery. It has a tan exterior bearing the company branding, with Qantas logos on the wingtips.

The first A350-1000ULR, called Vega, painted in Qantas livery, is still on the assembly line and will be delivered to Qantas in April 2027, the company said.

The A350–1000ULR’s extra 20,000-litre fuel tank enables it to fly ultra-long-haul routes of almost 10,000 nautical miles (18,500 km). According to Airbus. In June, Qantas announced it would purchase 12 aircraft with 238 seats, instead of the more than 300 seats on other A350-1000 models.

Qantas’ Project Sunrise plans for non-stop services between Sydney and London have been postponed multiple times in previous years.

Inside The company said in November 2025: Service would begin in the first half of 2027, with Airbus delivering the first specially configured A350-1000ULR in late 2026. However, Airbus postponed the start date once again, announcing in June that the first aircraft would be delivered in April 2027.

Qantas had previously He mentioned Sydney, as well as Melbourne and Brisbane, as planned hubs for direct flights to London and New York City. These cities were not mentioned in the company’s last announcement in June, but officials stated that Qantas will adjust its routes according to customer demand.