Australian airline Qantas has officially confirmed the first route of its long-awaited "Project Sunrise". Starting in October 2027, daily direct flights between Sydney and London will take off. For the first time ever, the legendary "Kangaroo Route" will be flown nonstop from Australia's east coast. The most important facts about the world's longest scheduled passenger connection.
The pure flight time between Sydney and London is expected to be between 19 and 22 hours, depending on wind and route. Compared to today's connections with stopovers, such as via Singapore, the direct flight saves up to four hours of travel time according to the airline.
The decision was announced at an event at the Airbus plant in Toulouse, France, where Qantas presented the first aircraft painted in its own colors. CEO Vanessa Hudson announced that the record-breaking route is scheduled to start in time for the IATA winter season 2027/28; the first flight is planned for October 2027.
"Eliminating the last stopover"
For Qantas, this step is more than a schedule change. Hudson described it as the most significant milestone in the company's 105-year history. "Since we first flew the Kangaroo Route in 1947, with seven stopovers on the way to London, each aircraft generation has removed one stop from the journey. Today we're eliminating the last one", said the CEO.
The historic Kangaroo Route led over decades in several stages from Australia to Great Britain. The new direct flight will operate in parallel with existing connections Perth-London and Sydney-Singapore-London.
Specially developed Airbus with a star name
The suitable aircraft for this is the Airbus A350-1000ULR. To manage the route, Airbus extended the range of the base model A350-1000 by approximately 1,000 nautical miles by installing a 20,000-liter additional tank in the rear center section. The twelve aircraft were ordered back in May 2022; the first is scheduled to be delivered in April 2027 and bears the name "Vega".
The name recalls a Catalina flying boat that flew in radio silence over the Indian Ocean in 1943, as well as the navigation star by which the crew oriented themselves at the time. The first A350-1000ULR for Qantas completed its maiden flight from Toulouse in early June 2026 as a test aircraft. It is undergoing an approximately two-month testing and certification program and will subsequently be retrofitted for commercial use. In parallel, a second aircraft is already in final assembly; it is scheduled to be delivered to the airline in April 2027.
Few seats and additional routes
A special feature is the cabin configuration. Each aircraft will be equipped with only 238 seats in four classes to increase comfort on the ultra-long-haul route. The configuration includes six First Class suites, 52 Business Class seats, 40 seats in Premium Economy and 140 in Economy. Qantas describes this as the lowest seat density of all A350-1000s currently in operation worldwide.
Another connection still holds the crown. The currently longest scheduled nonstop flight is the Singapore Airlines route between Singapore and New York covering 15,349 kilometers in just under 19 hours. One significant difference: there is no Economy Class on this flight. The longest route that travelers can currently fly nonstop in Economy is also operated by Qantas: from London to Perth covering 14,499 kilometers in 16 to 18 hours.
With London, the project is not complete. Sydney-New York is confirmed as the next route; the exact start date will be announced in 2027. Tickets for the Sydney-London route are scheduled to go on sale in February 2027, subject to regulatory approvals and aircraft certification.
