Qantas Revives Plans for Direct Flights From New York to Sydney

This week, Qantas announced an order for 12 Airbus A350-1000 aircraft, a significant investment that will enable Australia's national airline to operate some of the longest nonstop routes from New York and London to Australia. However, eager travelers will have to wait until late 2025 for these flights to commence.

Known as Project Sunrise, this initiative has been in development since before the pandemic, but it is now officially back on track as international travel begins to recover. Australia reopened to vaccinated visitors in February after nearly two years of restricting international arrivals.

Alongside the aircraft order announcement, Qantas has revealed details about the A350 cabin design, promising ‘a new standard of comfort for all passengers on these nonstop flights, which will reduce total travel time by up to four hours compared to current one-stop options.’

This is encouraging news given that the 10,000-mile journey between New York and Sydney will involve approximately 19.5 hours of flight time. Currently, Singapore Airlines holds the record for the longest commercial flight with its 19-hour service between New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport and Singapore.

Qantas aims to draw passengers to its new A350 fleet and ultra-long-haul service with extravagant first-class suites featuring separate beds, reclining chairs, and closets. The aircraft will also offer business-class suites and premium economy seats with a generous 40-inch pitch. (Pitch refers to the distance between one seat and the next—most major U.S. domestic airlines have a pitch ranging from 30 to 38 inches.) Moreover, the planes will include a ‘dedicated Wellbeing Zone’ for movement, stretching, and hydration.

Qantas announced that its A350 aircraft will have a total of 238 seats, the fewest among any A350-1000 currently in operation. This means that over 40 percent of the cabin will be allocated to premium seating, ensuring passengers won’t feel cramped.

As part of its commitment to carbon-neutral flights, Qantas plans to offset all emissions from its A350-1000 fleet, although the airline has not detailed the specific methods or types of offsets it will pursue.

The strategy involves utilizing the newly outfitted planes to offer more direct flights to Australia, specifically from New York and London. Currently, travelers departing from the U.S. East Coast to Australia must make at least one stop on the West Coast.

“This is the last frontier and the ultimate solution to the longstanding challenge of distance that has hindered travel to Australia,” said Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce in a statement.

Before the pandemic, Qantas operated a 17-hour flight from Perth to London Heathrow and a 14-hour nonstop service from Melbourne to San Francisco.

“Our direct flights from Perth to London, launched in 2017, demonstrated a robust demand for the convenience and time savings offered by this type of travel, provided the product and service meet expectations. Prior to COVID, it was our longest route and had the highest customer satisfaction ratings in our network. All indicators suggest that demand will rise in the post-COVID era,” Joyce remarked.

He further noted that while the inaugural long-haul routes with the new aircraft will be from New York and London, these planes will also facilitate nonstop flights from other key cities like Paris and Frankfurt.