After a decade of planning, Qantas is finally set to begin its groundbreaking nonstop service between Sydney and London next year.
July 2026 landed two remarkable Flightradar24 milestones. First came the busiest day of commercial traffic we have ever tracked, with more than 153,000 flights in just 24 hours. Five days later, nearly 3.7 million people followed an Airbus A350-1000ULR as it completed a record-breaking journey from Melbourne to Toulouse. The two records showcase the opposite […]
Flightradar24 Blog•Ian Petchenik2 Aug
Airbus and Qantas have made history by operating their longest-ever nonstop test flight with the new A350-1000ULR that will eventually be used to link eastern Australia with Europe and New York. The momentous test flight took off from Airbus's facilities at Toulouse on July 23rd.
On this episode of AvTalk, we speak with Xavier Pepin, the captain of the Airbus 24 hour, 24 minute Airbus A350-1000ULR flight from Melbourne to Toulouse. We talk about flight planning, crew resource management, fatigue and rest, and what’s next for the A350-1000ULR flight test program. Also on this week’s episode, highlights from EAA Airventure in Oshkosh and flying the Goodyear Blimp. Boeing says the 737-10 MAX flight test program is complete after 976 flights. United says it doesn’t want the 777-9s that Emirates also doesn’t want. And Australia releases new fire bomber procedures designed to make fighting bushfires safer. Helpful links for this week’s episode * Airbus makes history with the A350-1000ULR * Inside the Flying Bulls DC-6 * Australia fire bombers SOPs Please check back soon for a transcript of this episode.
Flightradar24 Blog•Flightradar2431 Jul
Qantas cut 162 seats from its A350 to fit a fuel tank that reaches London nonstop. Here is why the airline thinks passengers will pay 20% more for it.
Airbus has completed the longest point-to-point flight ever undertaken by an A350-1000ULR flight-test aircraft, flying non-stop from Toulouse to Melbourne before returning to France as part of development testing for Qantas’ Project Sunrise programme. The campaign began on July 23, when test aircraft MSN707 departed Toulouse for Melbourne. Five days later, the aircraft flew back […]
AviTrader•Heike Tamm29 JulOn 23rd July the first A350-1000ULR flight test aircraft MSN707 embarked on its longest point-to-point flight from Toulouse direct to Melbourne, Australia. Then a few days later it flew all the way back with two Qantas guest pilots on board, landing in Toulouse on the morning of July 28th. To find out more about this […] The post Extending the horizon: Inside the A350-1000ULR’s longest development flight first appeared on PLANEtalking .
Airbus has successfully completed the longest development flight ever performed by an A350-1000ULR, as part of the flight-test programme for Qantas’ Project Sunrise, which will introduce non-stop services from Australia to Europe and North America from 2027. The specially instrumented test aircraft, MSN707, flew from Toulouse to Melbourne on 23 July before returning a few […]
Aviation24.be•André Orban28 Jul
Airbus just completed a world record flight, operating from Melbourne to Toulouse non-stop. The flight covered 23,075.92 km in 24 hours, 24 minutes.
Flightradar24 Blog•Ian Petchenik28 JulQANTAS Airways made this announcement on July 24, 2026 (now updated): The Airbus A350-1000ULR set to conquer the final frontier of long-haul travel will land on Australian soil for the first time on July 24, as the flight test campaign for Project Sunrise reaches a major milestone. The first A350-1000ULR to take to the skies touched down in Melbourne on Friday […]
World Airline News•Bruce Drum28 Jul
Test aircraft flew nonstop from Melbourne to Toulouse ahead of Project Sunrise deliveries
Air Data News•Ricardo Meier28 Jul
Airbus has completed a 24-hour long-endurance test flight of Qantas’ upcoming A350-1000ULR aircraft after landing back in Toulouse…
AeroTime•Ian Molyneaux28 JulQantas will use the ultra-long-range type to connect the east coast of Australia with London, New York, and other far-off destinations.
AirlineGeeks•Zach Vasile27 JulAviationNews – A specially equipped Airbus A350-1000ULR test aircraft has landed on Australian soil for the first time. The long-haul prototype touched down in Melbourne...
Airbus' new ultra-long-range widebody continues to stretch its legs.
Ultra-long-range test aircraft flew nonstop from Toulouse to Melbourne ahead of Qantas' planned nonstop Sydney-London service, scheduled to begin in 2027
Air Data News•Ricardo Meier24 JulThe first Airbus A350-1000ULR destined for Qantas’ ambitious Project Sunrise programme has successfully completed a historic non-stop flight from Toulouse to Melbourne, marking another major milestone in the development of what will become the world’s longest scheduled commercial air services. The specially configured aircraft arrived in Melbourne today after a [read more]
UK Aviation News•Nick Harding24 Jul
Qantas’ first ultra-long-range Airbus A350-1000ULR has landed in Melbourne, Australia, after flying nonstop from Toulouse, France, in a…
AeroTime•Jean Carmela Lim24 Jul
As part of its flight test program, Airbus is currently operating its A350-1000ULR on a non-stop flight from Toulouse, France to Melbourne (MEL).
AviationSource News•Len Varley23 JulQantas has begun the first non-stop test flight of its Airbus A350-1000ULR from Europe to Australia, marking a major milestone for the airline’s Project Sunrise programme. The specially configured ultra-long-range aircraft, which will eventually operate non-stop services between Sydney and London from October 2027, departed Airbus’ Toulouse facility on Thursday morning and is expected to […]
Aviation24.be•André Orban23 Jul
The Australian flag carrier is another step closer to making its Project Sunrise dreams a reality.