QANTAS PICKS A350 FOR PROJECT SUNRISE FLIGHTS

QANTAS has selected Airbus’s A3501000 over Boeing’s delayed B777X as the preferred aircraft for its ultra long-haul, non-stop research flight programme, dubbed Project Sunrise.

The Australian flag carrier wants to be able to operate regular non-stop commercial flights from the east coast of Australia to London and New York, and said that it will now make a “final go/ no-go decision” in March 2020 on whether to operate the flights.

The Project Sunrise research flights are also being conducted to test ways to improve the health and wellbeing of passengers and crew on such ultra long-haul flights.

The A350-1000 uses the Rolls Royce Trent XWB engine, which is used exclusively on the A350 and, according to the airline, has a “strong reliability record” after being in service with airlines for more than two years. The airline stated that Airbus will add an additional fuel tank and slightly increase the maximum take-off weight to “deliver the performance required for Sunrise routes”.

Qantas said no orders have been placed so far, but it will work closely with Airbus to prepare contract terms for up to 12 aircraft ahead of a final decision by the Qantas board.

According to Qantas, Airbus has agreed to extend the deadline to confirm delivery slots from February 2020 to March 2020. Qantas said this would provide additional time to negotiate an industrial agreement without impacting the planned start date of Project Sunrise flights in the first half of 2023.