Airbus has completed a nonstop flight from Melbourne to Toulouse with the first A350-1000ULR built for Qantas, concluding another major test campaign for the ultra long-range aircraft that will be used on the airline’s Project Sunrise routes.
The aircraft, registered F-WULR and carrying manufacturer serial number 707, departed Melbourne on July 27 and landed in Toulouse the following day after more than 24 hours in the air. Flight tracking data from Flightradar24 shows the journey lasted 24 hours and 25 minutes, making it one of the longest flights ever performed by an Airbus aircraft.
The return flight followed the aircraft’s delivery test mission to Australia. It had departed Toulouse on July 23 and reached Melbourne after a flight of more than 19 hours.
Airbus said the latest mission covered approximately 12,460 nautical miles (23,076 km) without a stop. The manufacturer briefly performed a go-around before landing in Toulouse, where thousands of aviation enthusiasts followed the flight’s final approach online.
The aircraft is the first of 12 A350-1000ULRs ordered by Qantas for Project Sunrise, the airline’s plan to launch nonstop services linking Australia’s east coast with destinations including London and New York. The first aircraft is expected to be delivered in 2027.
The A350-1000ULR is a dedicated ultra long-range version of the A350-1000 equipped with a rear center fuel tank that increases its range by about 1,000 nautical miles compared with the standard model.
During the flight test campaign, Airbus engineers collect operational data from the aircraft and its systems before entry into service. Qantas has also spent years studying passenger wellbeing on flights lasting more than 20 hours, leading to a customized cabin layout with 238 seats, significantly fewer than a standard A350-1000, to provide additional space on the world’s longest scheduled routes.
