The Qantas A350-1000ULR arrives at Melbourne's Tullamarine airport on Friday after a 19 hour and 13 minute flight from the Airbus factory in Toulouse, France. Photograph: William West/AFP/Getty Images
Airbus A350–1000ULR becomes most watched plane on flight tracking websites as Qantas tests new aircraft for its Project Sunrise
Qantas’s new ultra long-distance aircraft has landed on Australian soil for the first time on Friday after a 19-hour test flight from France.
The Airbus A350-1000ULR, designed for Qantas to complete some of the longest commercial flights in the world, set off on a nonstop journey from Airbus’ manufacturing facility Toulouse, France on Thursday, destined for Melbourne.
The planes have been designed to fly up to 22 hours nonstop for the company’s Sydney to London direct route, expected to start in October 2027.
The test flight has attracted attention from transport enthusiasts, with more than 67,000 people following its almost 17,000km path on flightradar24.com on Friday morning – the most-watched flight globally on Friday.
The plane touched down at 10.46am on Friday in Melbourne. Photograph: James D Morgan/Getty Images
The air traffic website indicates the flight departed Toulouse at 7.33am on Thursday, local time. It landed in Melbourne just over 19 hours later, at 10.46am, local time.
In a statement, Qantas said four Airbus flight test pilots and five flight test engineers were operating the model’s test. They and the aircraft will stay in Melbourne over the weekend then depart for Toulouse on Monday, with two Qantas pilots joining them on board.
Qantas’ chief technical pilot, Alex Passerini, told Channel Seven on Friday the return flight would take 23 hours, as the crew tested systems from fuel transfer to air conditioning.
Flightradar24 showing the route of a non-stop test flight from Toulouse to Melbourne of a new Qantas Airbus A350–1000ULR. Photograph: Flightradar24
Passerini said crews would be able to take regular rest breaks on the plane, aligned with the airline’s “data-driven” systems.
“Everyone’s going to get tired,” Passerini said.
Qantas said the plane in flight was the first of its model to take to the skies. The A350–1000ULR was first flown on 2 June, for three hours 43 minutes over France and the French Atlantic coast, and has since undergone extensive testing.
The test model is not carrying Qantas’s official white and red livery. It has a tan exterior carrying company branding, with Qantas logos on its wingtips.
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A long plane for long-haul flights: the A350-1000ULR prepares for landing. Photograph: William West/AFP/Getty Images
The company said the first A350-1000ULR painted in the Qantas livery, named Vega, is still on the assembly line and will be delivered to Qantas in April 2027.
The A350–1000ULR’s extra 20,000-litre fuel tank enables it to fly ultra long-haul routes of almost 10,000 nautical miles (18,500km), according to Airbus. Qantas in June said it was buying 12 aircraft with 238 seats rather than the 300-plus seats on other A350-1000 models.
Qantas’s Project Sunrise plans for nonstop services between Sydney and London have been delayed multiple times in previous years.
Project Sunrise crew members are greeted in Melbourne. Photograph: James D Morgan/Getty Images
In November 2025, the company said the service would start in the first half of 2027, with Airbus set to deliver the first specially configured A350-1000ULR by late 2026. But Airbus in June revealed the first aircraft would be delivered in April 2027, pushing back the start date again.
Qantas had previously mentioned Melbourne and Brisbane, along with Sydney, as planned hubs for direct flights to London and New York City. The company’s latest announcement in June did not mention those cities but officials have indicated Qantas would adjust its routes based on customer demand.
