Aviation history has been made as Qantas’ first Airbus A350-1000ULR completed the longest nonstop test flight ever flown by a commercial aircraft, spending an incredible 24 hours and 23 minutes in the air on its journey from Melbourne, Australia, to Toulouse, France.
The record-breaking flight surpassed the previous nonstop commercial aircraft test flight record of 22 hours and 42 minutes, set by a Boeing 777-200LR in 2005. The milestone marks another major step toward Qantas’ ambitious Project Sunrise, which aims to connect Australia directly with cities such as London and New York without stopping.
The aircraft, currently registered as F-WULR under Airbus’ test registration, departed Melbourne at 5:27 PM local time on July 27 and landed in Toulouse at around 9:52 AM local time on July 28. During the journey, it crossed the Pacific Ocean and flew over the United States and Canada before returning to Airbus’ headquarters in France.
Just before landing, the crew performed a brief go-around as part of the testing program. The historic flight attracted massive attention from aviation enthusiasts, with more than 120,000 people tracking it live on Flightradar24.
Only days earlier, the same aircraft completed the opposite journey from Toulouse to Melbourne in just over 19 hours, becoming the world’s most-tracked flight that day. Together, the two flights are part of Airbus’ extensive flight-testing program before the aircraft is delivered to Qantas.
The Airbus A350-1000ULR is specially designed for ultra-long-haul operations and will feature a spacious 238-seat cabin with six First Class suites, 52 Business Class seats, 40 Premium Economy seats, and 140 Economy seats. The lower passenger capacity is intended to provide greater comfort on flights expected to last more than 20 hours.
Qantas has spent nearly a decade researching how passengers are affected by ultra-long-haul travel. Working with the University of Sydney’s Charles Perkins Centre and other design and technology partners, the airline has developed a cabin focused on reducing fatigue, improving sleep, and helping passengers arrive feeling more refreshed.
This aircraft is the first of 12 Airbus A350-1000ULRs ordered by Qantas and is expected to be delivered in April 2027. The airline plans to begin selling tickets for its first nonstop Sydney to London flights in early 2027, with commercial operations expected to start later that year.
With this record-breaking 24-hour flight, Project Sunrise has moved one step closer to transforming long-distance air travel and making some of the world’s longest nonstop passenger routes a reality.
