Qantas places buy orders to revive plan for world’s longest direct flight

Deal may cost around $4.23 billion

Qantas Airways revived a plan to start direct flights connecting Australia’s east coast with New York and London as it finally ordered jets for the ultralong services from Airbus.

The airline said on Monday it’s buying 12 A350-1000s that can fly non-stop from Australia to any city in the world. Commercial services will start from Sydney in late 2025, Qantas said.

The airline did not disclose the value of the deal, but analysts at Barrenjoey estimated in a client note it would cost at least A$6 billion ($4.23 billion).

The world’s longest route is currently a New York JFK to Singapore route, operated by Singapore Airlines, which takes 18 hours 50 minutes and travels just over 15,288 km.

Qantas had planned to start the 20-hour flights —internally called Project Sunrise — in 2023, and was well into its preparations and close to ordering the aircraft when Covid-19 decimated aviation.

The resumption of the project signals the airline’s confidence in an international rebound in passenger traffic, as well as higher demand for flights with no stopovers.

“The A350 and Project Sunrise will make any city just one flight away from Australia,” Qantas Chief Executive Officer Alan Joyce said. “It’s the last frontier and the final fix for the tyranny of distance.”

Qantas’ A350s will be configured to carry 238 passengers in four classes — first, business, premium economy and economy. The planes will have an extra fuel tank fitted to extend their range to make sure they can fly the distances required.