An Airbus plane flew for 19 hours nonstop between Europe and Australia
An Airbus A350-1000ULR test aircraft, as part of Project Sunrise, successfully completed a nonstop flight from Toulouse, France, to Melbourne, Australia, spending 19 hours in the air. During the flight, more than 10,000 users tracked its route in real time, making the flight one of the most closely followed in the world.
The test flight took place on July 23. The aircraft departed from Toulouse and landed successfully in Melbourne without any stopovers, confirming the feasibility of ultra-long-haul routes.
Project Sunrise, an initiative by Qantas, aims to launch the world’s first regular nonstop passenger flights between London and Sydney.
During the flight, more than 10,000 users simultaneously tracked the aircraft on Flightradar24, demonstrating significant interest in future ultra-long-haul flights.
Qantas CEO Vanessa Hudson stated that the launch of direct flights between London and Sydney will be an important step in the development of long-haul aviation and will open up new opportunities for international routes.
The airline expects to take delivery of its first Airbus A350-1000ULR in April 2027. A total of 11 more of these aircraft will join the fleet over the next two and a half years.
Currently, travel between Europe and Australia requires at least one layover, most often in the Middle East or Southeast Asia. Qantas expects that once the Airbus A350-1000ULR enters service, passengers will be able to fly between the continents without stopovers, which will reduce travel time and make flights more comfortable.
This was reported by Supercar Blondie.
As a reminder, an L-39 “Albatros” training aircraft, which is in service with the Russian Aerospace Forces, crashed in the Krasnodar Krai of the Russian Federation.
A Norwegian Airlines passenger plane, which was en route to Dubrovnik, Croatia, on July 27, was forced to change course and make an emergency landing in Vienna. The cause was a crack in the aircraft’s windshield. The landing was safe, and there are no reports of injuries.
