Qantas Relives World's Longest Flight, Orders 12 Airbus A350-1000 Jets

JAKARTA - Airline Qantas has revived its plans for the world's longest flight, by ordering 12 Airbus A350-1000 aircraft that can fly non-stop from Australia to any city in the world.

This decision was taken as the aviation and long-distance travel industry began to recover from the COVID-19 crisis that hit the world in the last two years.

The Australian carrier will start direct commercial flights from Sydney to London from late 2025, stopping its long-haul routes, it said in a statement.

Codenamed Project Sunrise, Qantas originally planned to launch 20-hour flights in 2023. However, the pandemic prevented the airline from ordering planes at that time.

While the first flights will be from New York and London, the airline will also be able to operate non-stop flights to Australia from destinations such as Paris and Frankfurt, Qantas said.

"For more than 100 years, Qantas has been at the forefront of changing the way the world travels, especially through direct flights. Now, the A350 and Project Sunrise will make almost any city in the world just one flight away from Australia," said Qantas Group Chief Executive Alan. Joyce, reports The National News May 2.

"This is the final frontier and the final remedy for the distance tyranny that has traditionally challenged travel to Australia."

Aviation was one of the industries hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, with a domino effect on other sectors such as tourism, hospitality and supply chains but is now recovering rapidly.

Long-term forecasts by the International Air Transport Association show the number of travelers in 2021 as a whole will be 47 percent of 2019 levels.

That figure is expected to rise to 83 percent in 2022 and 94 percent in 2023, before surpassing pre-pandemic levels in 2024 and 2025.

By 2021, the number of international travelers will reach 27 percent of 2019 levels, the industry body said. It is expected to reach 69 percent in 2022, 82 percent in 2023, 92 percent in 2024, and pass pre-Covid levels with a 101 percent increase in 2025.

The Qantas A350 will have a total seating capacity of 238 passengers in first, business, premium economy and economy classes, with more than 40 percent of the cabin dedicated to premium seating. This will be the lowest capacity of any A350-1000 currently in service, Qantas said. Competing airlines have more than 300 seats on this type of aircraft.

Qantas says its planes will have additional fuel tanks to extend their range, so they can fly the distance needed.

The airline started direct Perth to London flights in 2017. "Before COVID it was the longest route in our network and had the highest customer satisfaction in our network. All signs are showing that demand is increasing post-COVID," said Joyce.

Qantas also announced in early May an order for 40 narrowbody jets to renew its domestic fleet, with firm orders for 20 Airbus A321XLR and 20 A220-300 as the Boeing 737 and 717 are gradually retired.

Deliveries of the A321XLR are expected to begin in late 2024, and the A220 from late 2023, the statement said. The order also includes an option to purchase 94 more aircraft.

"The board's decision to approve Australia's largest in-flight aircraft order is a clear vote of confidence in the future of the Qantas Group," Joyce said, without disclosing the value of the deal.

"All these next-generation aircraft through lower emissions, longer range, less noise and better economy will improve the way people travel around Australia and overseas."

The newer domestic fleet will reduce emissions "by at least 15 percent if using fossil fuels, and significantly better if using sustainable aviation fuels", the airline chief said. He added that Project Sunrise would be "carbon neutral" from day one.