Airbus achieves a milestone: First successful flight for A350-1000ULR, the aircraft capable of flying up to 22 hours non-stop
This aircraft is destined for Australian airline Qantas, "to enable non-stop flights between Sydney and London for the first time ever - a distance of almost 10,000 nautical miles" (11,500 miles), Airbus said.
An Airbus A320-232-File Image.
(AFP) European aircraft manufacturer Airbus announced Tuesday it had successfully completed the first test flight of its A350-1000ULR, an aircraft capable of flying up to 22 hours at a time and whose delivery is suffering delays.
"The aircraft, fitted with special flight test instrumentation, flew for three hours 43 minutes reaching an altitude of slightly above 41,000 feet," Airbus said in a statement.
The aircraft took off and landed in the French city of Toulouse.
The aircraft is destined for Australian airline Qantas, "This aircraft is destined for Australian airline Qantas, "to enable non-stop flights between Sydney and London for the first time ever - a distance of almost 10,000 nautical miles" (11,500 miles), Airbus specified.
Qantas is due to take delivery of its first A350-1000ULR (for ultra-long-range) in April 2027, when it had originally planned to inaugurate this route in 2025 and, more recently, at the end of 2026.
The company ordered 12 of these aircraft, plus another 12 A350-1000 destined for long-haul flights, but with a slightly shorter route.
The longest commercial flight currently is the Singapore Airlines flight between Singapore and JFK airport in New York, some 9,538 miles, lasting more than 18 hours.
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