Qantas Airways has ordered 15 Airbus A350-1000s jets for the ultra-long services and is reviving a plan to start direct flights connecting Australia’s east coast with New York and London.
The new jets can fly nonstop from Australia to any city in the world. Commercial services will start from Sydney in late 2025, Qantas said. The A350s will be delivered to the carrrier from 2025 until 2028.
Qantas had planned to start the 20-hour flights — internally called “Project Sunrise” — in 2023, and was close to ordering the aircraft befor COVID-19 happened.
Qantas also confirmed a domestic fleet order, announced in December, for 40 A321XLRs and A220 aircraft, as well as options for 94 more jets over at least a decade. The aircraft will replace the airline’s aging Boeing 737s and 717s.
“We’re finally seeing a sustained recovery in travel demand,” Chief Executive Officer Alan Joyce said. He described Project Sunrise flights as “the final fix for the tyranny of distance.”
Qantas’s A350s will be configured to carry 238 passengers in four classes — first, business, premium economy and economy. Most A350s carry more than 300 passengers, according to the carrier. The planes will have an extra fuel tank to extend their range so they can fly the distances required.
Plans for the unprecedented services have been underway since at least 2018. Qantas said Monday the plane’s economy seats will have two more inches of legroom, though the first-class cabins will come with a seat, a bed and a door.
More than 40% of the cabin will be premium seating compared with about 30% in Qantas’s Boeing 787s and Airbus A380s. The new planes will have “a wellbeing zone” in the middle where passengers can stretch or take a break.
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