* London first destination for world’s longest non-stop
flights
* Project Sunrise flights to start in October 2027 after
delays
* Qantas eyes 20% higher ticket price than one-stop flights
in premium cabins
(Adds CEO quotes)
TOULOUSE, France, June 17 (Reuters) – Qantas Airways
on Wednesday announced London as the first destination
for the world’s longest non-stop commercial flight, a roughly
20-hour trip from Sydney eliminating the traditional stopover on
the “Kangaroo Route”.
The Australian carrier plans to start selling tickets in
February and launch the flights in October 2027, CEO Vanessa
Hudson told an event in Toulouse, France.
The flights are part of the airline’s “Project Sunrise”
initiative, which will also serve New York using modified Airbus
A350-1000ULR jets capable of flying up to 22 hours with
238 passengers on board.
The announcement is part of a fleet overhaul that began in
2017 when Qantas challenged Airbus and Boeing to develop planes
capable of ultra-long-haul, non-stop routes from Australia.
“Australia’s distance from the rest of the world should
never stand in the way,” Hudson said, before unveiling one of
the modified Airbus jets, fresh from the paint shop and yet to
have its Rolls-Royce XWB-97 engines installed.
Qantas named Project Sunrise after the airline’s double
sunrise endurance flights during World War Two, which remained
airborne long enough to see two sunrises.
The aim is to cut what was once a five-day trek on the
“Kangaroo Route” to London to a single hop of 19 to 21 hours,
depending on routing and winds. Qantas will use polar routes
about a quarter of the time, especially during the northern
winter. The trip now takes some 24 to 25 hours via Singapore.
It is a major gamble for Qantas, involving billions of
dollars in aircraft, cabin upgrades and research into passenger
health on ultra-long flights.
To succeed it must convince travellers to pay more to avoid
layovers, while minimising the discomfort from long flights.
Qantas has participated in academic research on jet lag,
exercise, hydration, lighting and meal times, Hudson said.
“What they are selling is time, and they absolutely need to
get a premium on all the cabins, particularly business and
premium economy,” said aviation analyst John Strickland.
NEW ROUTES
Hudson said Qantas hopes to replicate the roughly 20%
premium it has achieved across all four cabins on Perth-London
flights versus one-stop routes.
Qantas has temporarily rerouted the Perth-London service via
Singapore because of disruption in Middle East airspace.
“We will return our network to where it was prior to the war
when things settle down,” Hudson said, without giving a
timeframe.
Qantas has estimated Project Sunrise could add more than
A$400 million ($283 million) a year to earnings.
Jefferies analysts have said they expect a positive market
for Project Sunrise flights to London.
Gulf carriers such as Emirates, which redrew the aviation
map around their hubs, are expected to defend their market
share. Australia on Wednesday lifted a months-long “do not
travel” warning on Gulf hubs that had invalidated most travel
insurance policies even for transit passengers.
Airbus won the Project Sunrise order in 2019 after an
intense battle with Boeing’s 777X.
Earlier this month, Airbus carried out the first test flight
for one of 12 modified A350-1000ULR planes ordered by Qantas.
The 238-seat planes feature an extra rear-centre fuel tank
helping to increase the range by 1,000 nautical miles (1,852 km)
to 10,000 nautical miles. Flights are so long that much of the
fuel is used merely to carry the weight of the remaining fuel.
Half of the 12 new jets will serve the ultra-long-haul
London and New York markets. The rest may replace Boeing 787s on
other long routes such as Perth-London or Auckland-New York,
freeing those aircraft to open new routes, Hudson said. Chicago
has long been on Qantas’ watch list among other destinations.
The first aircraft is due for delivery in April 2027, about
five years later than originally expected due to the COVID-19
pandemic and supply chain delays.
Reuters reported this month that Qantas is in talks to buy
20 more wide-body jets from Airbus or Boeing, with the smaller
A350-900 or more Boeing 787s under consideration.
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Airbus 
Rolls-Royce 
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