Airbus A350 Completes Record-Breaking Nonstop Test Flight from Australia to France

An Airbus A350 has completed a nonstop test flight from Melbourne, Australia, to Toulouse, France, remaining in the air for 24 hours and 24 minutes. The aircraft covered approximately 23,075 kilometers (14,338 miles) via a route that spanned three continents and two oceans, passing through the Pacific, the United States, Canada, and Greenland.

The flight marks a significant step for Qantas' Project Sunrise, which aims to eliminate stopovers between Australia and Europe. The specially adapted A350-1000ULR (Ultra Long Range) aircraft features an additional fuel tank of 20,000 liters and can seat 238 passengers. Qantas has ordered 12 of these modified aircraft and expects to operate daily nonstop flights between Sydney and London starting in October 2027, with services to New York also planned.

The test flight was conducted by a crew consisting of eight Airbus test team members, two Airbus engineers, and two Qantas pilots. According to Flightradar24, the trip was the second-most-tracked flight ever on its channels, followed by more than 3.6 million people.

Currently, the world's longest commercial route connects Singapore and New York via a different A350 variant operated by Singapore Airlines. For comparison, a Boeing 777-200LR flew from Hong Kong to London in 2005, covering 21,601.7 kilometers in 22 hours and 42 minutes.