The first Airbus A350-1000ULR for Qantas’ Project Sunrise programme has rolled out of the Airbus facility in Toulouse and will begin a two-month flight testing phase in the coming weeks.
The aircraft has completed final assembly and is now fitted with its main components, including engines and landing gear. Testing will focus on performance and the certification of features designed for ultra longhaul operations.
Among these is an additional fuel tank that will support non-stop flights of up to 22 hours. A second aircraft, which entered production in February, is still progressing along the assembly line.
The 12-aircraft fleet will be configured with a higher proportion of premium seating, making up more than 40 per cent of the cabin. The aircraft are intended to operate direct routes from Australia’s east coast to cities such as London and New York, reducing overall travel time compared with current one-stop journeys.
Qantas has confirmed that the aircraft will be named after stars, reflecting a link to its Second World War “Double Sunrise” flights, which were also named after navigational stars. The naming theme was proposed by pilots and selected by employees.
The airline continues to see demand for direct longhaul travel. Existing non-stop services from Perth to London, Paris and Rome have performed strongly and recorded high customer satisfaction levels.
