Qantas Is About to Fly Nonstop from Sydney to London. Here's Why That's Remarkable.

Qantas will start flying nonstop from Sydney to London in October 2027. At 10,573 miles, this will be one of the longest routes a commercial airline has ever flown without stopping, according to Reuters. The airline calls this ambitious plan "Project Sunrise."

Tickets go on sale in February 2027 — eight months before the first flight departs. Qantas will receive its first specially designed aircraft in April 2027, giving the airline six months to train crew, run safety tests, and prepare the cabin before passengers board.

The Aircraft

The plane Qantas ordered is an Airbus A350-1000ULR. The "ULR" stands for "ultra-long-range." It's built differently than a standard aircraft — instead of fitting in as many seats as possible, Airbus added extra fuel tanks and made the plane lighter so it can fly distances no other commercial airline currently attempts.

Inside, the cabin is designed like a luxury hotel. First class has six private suites per plane. Each suite has a fully flat bed (two metres long) plus a separate armchair that reclines. This layout prioritises comfort over passenger numbers. That's deliberate: on a route this long with no competing direct flights, premium seats are the main way the airline makes money.

The Price Question

Qantas expects to charge roughly 20% more for a nonstop ticket than for flights that stop in places like Singapore or Dubai, according to Reuters. That premium price matters. The airline is betting that enough wealthy travellers will pay extra to avoid getting off the plane in the middle of the journey.

Right now, Sydney to London with a stopover takes 22–23 hours from gate to gate, including the connection. A nonstop flight will take roughly 19 hours. For business travellers and anyone who hates layovers, that four-hour saving could be worth paying more for. You also avoid the fatigue that comes from sitting on a plane, getting off, waiting in an airport, and sitting down again for another long stretch.

The real test: will enough passengers actually choose the nonstop route despite the higher price?

For corporate travel planners, the February 2027 ticket sale date is crucial. They'll need to decide whether to book their travellers on this new route or stick with cheaper one-stop options. Qantas isn't replacing the old routes — airlines like Emirates and Singapore Airlines will keep flying Sydney to London via their own airports. So companies will genuinely have a choice, which usually means airlines can't raise prices too far without losing business.

What Comes Next

Qantas has been planning Project Sunrise since 2019. The June 2026 announcement marks a shift: this is no longer a dream. The airline now has delivery dates, ticket prices, and specific routes locked in.

After London, Sydney to New York is next on the list. That route is slightly shorter — about 9,950 miles — so the same aircraft can handle it. If London succeeds and fills those premium suites with paying passengers, Qantas will likely launch New York within a year. The real bottleneck isn't the aircraft's capability. It's whether the airline has enough trained crew and whether the premium seat demand justifies running two of these exceptionally long routes at once.