Airbus Sets Guinness Record with 14,388-Mile Australia-France Flight
The 12,503-nautical-mile test flight was independently verified as Airbus and Qantas prepare the jet for Project Sunrise service.
- On Tuesday, Airbus confirmed the A350-1000ULR officially broke the Guinness World Record for the longest commercial flight, flying 12,503 nautical miles non-stop from Melbourne to France.
- This flight supports Qantas' Project Sunrise, an ambitious initiative to launch non-stop flights from Sydney to London and New York, with the first aircraft now scheduled for April 2027.
- The jet features a specialised 20,000 litre rear centre fuel tank enabling flights of up to 22 hours, while Qantas plans to utilise a "north polar flight path" for about 20 per cent of journeys.
- To manage passenger health, Qantas partnered with Peter Cistulli, a professor of sleep medicine at the University of Sydney, implementing strategic lighting and a "12 hour window of darkness" to assist sleep.
- Qantas CEO Vanessa Hudson confirmed tickets go on sale in February, with operations commencing in October next year as the airline remains responsive to changing demand.
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The flight lasted 24 hours, crossed the Atlantic and Pacific, and made no stopover.
An Airbus A350-1000ULR aircraft set a new world record for the longest flight as a distance made by a commercial aircraft. The aircraft travelled 23,155 kilometers without stopping, on a journey that lasted 24 hours and 24 minutes. Performance was officially confirmed by Guinness World Records, more than three months after the flight took place.
Qantas A350-1000ULR sets longest commercial airliner flight record
An Airbus A350-1000ULR has flown 12,503 nautical miles from Melbourne to Toulouse, setting the Guinness World Record for the longest flight by a commercial airliner. The 24-hour and 24-minute journey serves as a test for the Ultra Long Range (ULR) variant developed for Qantas Airways. The aircraft's ability to sustain this distance depends on a redesigned fuel system developed at Airbus's Filton site. Engineers integrated an additional 20,000-li…
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