Millions followed the live flight. Now it’s officially in the record books. Airbus’ A350-1000ULR has secured the Guinness World Record for the longest flight by distance by a commercial airliner—and Flightradar24 is proud to have helped support the record’s certification.
Airbus announced the recognition on 9 November, confirming a distance of 12,503 nautical miles (23,155 kilometres). The record was based on aircraft data independently validated by the International Aeronautical Federation and Flightradar24 via ADS-B data.
Congratulations to Airbus and all of the hard work by the teams that designed, built, and flew the aircraft. Flightradar24 is proud to have supported the record breaking journey.
A flight worth following
Operating as AIB35LR, the aircraft flew from Melbourne to Toulouse on 27–28 July, remaining airborne for 24 hours and 24 minutes. Its journey attracted 3,652,947 follows on Flightradar24, making it our second most tracked flight of all time, behind the final flight of Queen Elizabeth II.
En route to a Guinness World Record, the flight passed over multiple meaningful landmarks along the way. The aircraft passed Sydney Airport, then, after crossing the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, Rolls-Royce’s Derby facility, where its Trent XWB-97 engines are produced, and London Heathrow. Including these locations in the record-breaking flight connects the endurance of the aircraft with important points in Qantas’ Project Sunrise journey.
From following history to helping document it
Flight tracking brings aviation achievements to audiences around the world and on this occasion, our contribution also extended to the evidence supporting the record.
Flightradar24 helped independently validate the flight data used to support the record achievement. We’re delighted that our data could contribute to its formal recognition, alongside the International Aeronautical Federation.
Listen to our conversation with Captain Xavier Pepin, commander of the record-breaking flight.
Project Sunrise: the dawn of a new age of flight
The flight from Melbourne to Toulouse wasn’t just a record-breaking achievement, it was a critical component in the A350-1000ULR test campaign ahead of certification and delivery to Qantas. An additional rear center fuel tank helps extend the aircraft’s range by 1,000 nautical miles, enabling the airline’s planned nonstop Sydney–London and Sydney–New York services. Qantas has ordered 12 A350-1000ULRs, with the first delivery scheduled for April 2027. Commercial service on the Sydney-London route is expected to launch as QF1 and QF2 in October 2027. Tickets for the new non-stop flight go on sale in February.
Congratulations to Airbus, Qantas, Rolls-Royce, and everyone involved! Watching an ambitious aviation project take shape and bringing people together as they follow along gives us great joy. Helping document a milestone along the way makes it even better.
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