Qantas to launch non-stop flights to New York
Qantas has confirmed it will launch non-stop flights to New York in 2028, as part of Project Sunrise.
The history-making flights will cut more than three hours off the total travel time compared with current one-stop services, with tickets for the inaugural Sydney to New York service set to go on sale from August 2027.
Qantas will launch non-stop flights to New York. AAP
“Reaching New York non-stop completes a vision we set out many years ago, and it’s a moment of enormous pride for the thousands of our people who have been working hard to make Project Sunrise a reality,” Qantas Group CEO Vanessa Hudson said.
“From 2028, our customers will be able to board in Sydney and arrive in New York around 18 hours later without stopping once,” she added. “That changes what’s possible for travel between our two countries.”
Qantas first flew to New York back in 1958 as part of a round-the-world service from Sydney that stopped in Fiji, Honolulu, and San Francisco.
New York is the second Project Sunrise route to be confirmed, following the Sydney to London non-stop flights that begin in October 2027.
Direct flights to New York will go on sale in August 2027. Getty Images/iStockphoto
The Project Sunrise flights will be operated by specially configured Airbus A350-1000ULR aircraft, currently being built at the Airbus factory in Toulouse, France.
The A350-1000ULR aircraft will be able to fly for up to 22 hours non-stop, which is made possible by an additional 20,000 litre rear centre fuel tank and enhanced systems.
The new planes will seat just 238 passengers, giving passengers more space compared to the 300-plus seat layout used by other A350-1000 operators.
To minimise jet lag, it also features circadian-rhythm LED lighting, a specialised nutritionally-designed menu, and an onboard Wellbeing Zone for stretching and hydration.
“Flying these distances is only worth doing if our customers arrive feeling their best, and that belief has shaped everything we’ve built,” Hudson said.
Qantas will be the first airline in the world to offer a purpose-built inflight Wellbeing Zone. Qantas
The new 140-seat Economy cabin is configured in a 3-3-3. Qantas
“Over the past decade, working alongside experts, we’ve designed the aircraft and the onboard experience around the science of ultra long-haul travel.”
The first of 12 new aircraft was scheduled for delivery in late 2026. However, it has since been delayed due to supply chain issues and is not expected to arrive in April 2027.
Qantas said the next four aircraft would “follow in quick succession”.
The aircraft recently completed a mammoth test flight from France to Melbourne, touching down on July 24 after a 17,000km journey.
It then departed Melbourne the following Monday to return to Airbus headquarters in Toulouse as part of the test program, clocking a flight time of 24 hours and 24 minutes.
Qantas has previously confirmed that fares for these ultra-long-haul services are projected to be roughly 20 per cent higher than traditional one-stop flights.
“On our Perth to London service we know that those customers are prepared to pay a premium for that,” Hudson told Today.
The airline’s first direct flight to London will take off with passengers from October 2027, with bookings opening in February.
The 20-plus-hour commercial service to London will officially become the longest non-stop passenger flight in the world.
