If you’re a long-haul loving Londoner, I come bearing some news that’ll be right up your street runway. The first ever direct flight between London and Sydney is officially almost ready for take off – and it will be the world’s longest ever non-stop commercial flight.
The record-breakingly lengthy flight in question comes courtesy of the aviation-aficionados over at Australian airline, Qantas. The non-stop journey between the two major cities will be the first of its kind, and is set to clock in at around 20 hours in total – thereby yanking the crown straight from the head of Singapore Airlines’s direct service from Singapore to New York (the flight that currently holds the title of the world’s longest).
This rather ambitious aviation plan comes as part of the airline’s ‘Project Sunrise’ initiative which was named as a nod to the fact that passengers will feast their eyes on two sunrises in the space of one single flight. This week, Qantas unveiled the first of the valiant vehicles that’ll be taking on the journey. The specially-modified Airbus A350-1000 is kitted out with 238 seats (as opposed to the average 300) and an extra rear-centre fuel tank to ensure it can manage the 11,000-mile journey.
The prospect of spending 20 hours cooped up on a plane is, admittedly, not particularly desirable – but Qantas plan on making the journey as comfortable as possible. They’re putting a whole lot of time and money in to researching passenger health on ultra-long haul flights, and there is set to be amenities on board (including wellness zones, stretch handles, and hydration stations) to ensure that the vibes on board remain as high as the plane itself.
The very first Qantas flight between Sydney and London took off in 1947. Back then, it was a certified voyage; spanning four days and seven stops on-route. The trip currently takes around 25 hours with a layover in Singapore, but the record-breaking new flight will shave the journey down to just 19 or 20 hours (depending on the route and the wind conditions).
Qantas plans to start selling tickets for this pioneering plane journey in February 2027, with the first flight set to soar through the skies in October.
You can find out more about Qantas and Project Sunrise here.
