Qantas Completes Record-Breaking 24-Hour Flight from Melbourne to Toulouse
Project Sunrise advances with ultra-long-haul test, setting new benchmarks for commercial aviation.
Image: Eddie Pollard / AI
Callum Smith
Qantas has successfully completed a monumental 24-hour, 24-minute flight from Melbourne to Toulouse, marking a significant milestone in ultra-long-haul aviation.
This specific aircraft incorporates a specialized rear fuel tank, boosting its capacity by an additional 20,000 liters; it can sustain flight for up to 22 hours.
Public interest in these aviation milestones surged, making the test flight the second most tracked flight ever on Flightradar24.
It departed on Thursday, July 23, 2020, at 7:33 am local time, touching down on Friday, July 24, 2020, after 19 hours and 12 minutes aloft.
A staggering 75,000 individuals watched the landing live on Flightradar24, contributing to a total of 2,972,670 views for the flight.
Onboard the test flight, four Airbus pilots and five test engineers meticulously monitored the aircraft's performance throughout its extensive journey.
This record-setting achievement forms a critical component of Qantas’s ambitious Project Sunrise, an initiative poised to establish non-stop routes from Australia to major global cities.
Project Sunrise will fundamentally alter long-haul travel, compressing vast distances into single, uninterrupted journeys.
Qantas plans to deploy a new A350 jet for these services, including a direct flight from Australia to London.
The A350-1000ULR airliner will debut on the Australian carrier’s non-stop Sydney-London route starting in 2027, marking a profound shift in global aviation.
The first aircraft designated for Project Sunrise is scheduled for delivery in April 2027, paving the way for these ultra-long-haul services.
This development promises unprecedented connectivity and reshapes industry norms.
Project Sunrise seeks to transform the historic “Kangaroo Route” to London, compressing what was once a five-day journey into a single flight.
This singular flight will last between 19 and 21 hours, with variations depending on routing and prevailing winds, demanding new levels of endurance from both aircraft and crew.
The aircraft designed for these extended journeys integrates specific features to enhance passenger comfort, addressing the unique demands of ultra-long flights.
These include 12 circadian lighting scenes and strategically timed meals, meticulously crafted to mitigate jet lag and improve the onboard experience.
The ultra-long-range plane is projected to complete the first non-stop flight from London to Sydney as early as 2025, ushering in a new era of global connectivity.
This advancement represents a profound industry shift, driven by technological innovation and a relentless pursuit of efficiency.
While this test flight commanded immense attention, the most tracked flight ever transported Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin from Edinburgh to London in 2022.
This highlights the powerful intersection of technology and human interest, whether for technological feats or moments of national significance.