At the IATA Annual General Meeting, it was confirmed by Qantas that the extra fuel tank for the Airbus A350-1000 needed for Project Sunrise has been approved.
This is a significant milestone for the Australian carrier as they aim to get ready for additional ultra-long-haul flights.
Without further ado, let’s get into it…
What is Project Sunrise?
Back in 2017, Qantas unveiled Project Sunrise, which laid out their plan to be the world leader in ultra-long-haul travel.
Such plans were delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but post-pandemic, the plans were revived.
Back in May 2022, the Australian carrier placed an order for 12 Airbus A350-1000 Ultra Long Range aircraft.
Project Sunrise aims to deliver more direct routes to Australia and reduce point-to-point travel time.
This reduction will be up to four hours compared with 1-stop flights.
It is understood that the first aircraft will arrive in mid-2026, with Qantas’ first long-range flights being to London and New York from Sydney.
How Will This Revolutionise Long-Distance Flight?
As mentioned above, the concept of being able to fly to Australia non-stop without any connections is quite hard.
Qantas do already offer this already if you live in Perth, operating flights to London Heathrow and other places in Europe.
However, the concept in itself is to encourage such travel from Sydney, which is further east.
Their current Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners can’t physically do the distance, which is where Project Sunrise and the Airbus A350-1000 come in.
With the special plans Qantas has in place for these flights, they aim to make the long 19-20 hour slogs as pain-free as possible.
Because after all, not many people would want to sit on a plane that long.
Overall…
In conclusion, the extra fuel tank being approved for the Qantas Airbus A350-1000 is a bigger step than people think.
Furthermore, this is a big part of making these ultra-long-haul flights a reality.
Looking ahead, all eyes will be on any additional approvals that need to be completed before they take flight.
All eyes will be on whether they will keep to their mid-2026 deadline in achieving another feat in aviation history.
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