Qantas plans nonstop Sydney-New York flights

Qantas Airways plans to launch the first regular nonstop commercial flights between New York and Sydney in mid-2028. The approximately 18-hour service will be the second route under Qantas’ Project Sunrise programme.

According to the airlines, the new nonstop services will cut the travel time between New York and Sydney by about three hours compared with the fastest current connecting flights, while the Sydney-London journey will be around four hours shorter. This will allow passengers to travel from Sydney to London in about 22 hours without changing aircraft or making a stopover en route.

Qantas Chief Executive Vanessa Hudson said passenger interest in travelling nonstop on ultra-long-haul routes was growing. She said many travellers did not want to stop anywhere along the way and were willing to pay more for such convenience.

Qantas will use specially designed Airbus A350-1000ULR aircraft for Project Sunrise. According to Airbus, the aircraft have tanks with a fuel capacity of about 5,280 gallons and can fly for up to around 22 hours. Qantas has ordered 12 aircraft of this model, with the first aircraft due to be delivered in April.

Vanessa Hudson said it could take more than two and a half years to receive the full fleet of 12 aircraft.
The new Airbus A350-1000ULR aircraft to be used for Project Sunrise will have 238 seats in total. It will feature four cabin classes: First Class, Business Class, Premium Economy and Economy. About 40 percent of the aircraft's space will be allocated to premium-class seats.

According to Vanessa Hudson, one of the reasons is the growing demand for premium long-haul travel. Aircraft weight is also an important consideration on long-haul flights. Adding more seats and additional equipment creates limitations on the aircraft’s overall weight.

Qantas said tickets for the two Project Sunrise routes will go on sale next year.