Qantas has completed a flight believed to be the longest-ever commercial flight. The journey, traveling from Melbourne to Toulouse, used an Airbus A350-1000ULR aircraft.
Reports on the exact duration of the flight vary, with estimates placed at either 24 hours and 24 minutes or 24 hours and 25 minutes. The distance covered was reported as approximately 23,075 km (14,338 miles) or 12,460 nautical miles.
The flight surpassed the previous record of 22 hours and 42 minutes, set in 2005 by a Boeing 777-200LR. During the mission, more than 3.6 million people tracked the return flight on Flightradar24, making it the second-most-tracked flight in the service's history, following a 2022 flight carrying the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II.
Project Sunrise and aircraft specifications
This operation is part of Qantas's Project Sunrise plans, which involve non-stop flights from Sydney to London and New York. The airline has ordered 12 modified Airbus A350-1000ULR aircraft, which can seat 238 passengers. The aircraft features an extra fuel tank with capacities reported between 20,000 and 20,900 liters.
The first Project Sunrise aircraft is scheduled for delivery in April 2027. Qantas expects maximum flight times for this project to reach 21 hours and 40 minutes. The airline is allocating more than 40% of seats to First, Business, and Premium Economy, though ticket prices have not been announced.
Singapore Airlines currently operates the world's longest scheduled nonstop flight between New York and Singapore.
Flight operations
Airbus test pilot Xavier Pepin captained the return flight. To manage pilot fatigue during 20 to 23-hour flights, the crew utilized two-hour rotations within four-hour shifts.