Airbus completes nonstop flight of more than 24 hours between Australia and France
The goal is to put an end to the legendary "Kangaroo Route," which for decades forced travelers to have a layover, turning a journey that took several days into a single flight.
An Airbus A319-112 operated by the German airline Lufthansa—File photo
A modified Airbus A350-1000 landed in Toulouse on Tuesday after remaining in the air for 24 hours and 24 minutes. The plane took off from Melbourne and traveled 14,338 miles without a single stop, in a key test for the future of long-haul flights.
According to a report from Reuters, the test is part of Qantas' Project Sunrise, the Australian airline's ambitious plan to connect Sydney with London and New York in a single leg lasting between 19 and 21 hours. The aircraft, dubbed the A350-1000ULR, features an extra fuel tank and is designed to carry 238 passengers.
More than 3.6 million people tracked the flight in real time via Flightradar24, making it the second-most-tracked flight in the platform's history, second only to the plane that carried the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II in 2024.
Qantas is preparing to phase out the "Kangaroo Route"
Qantas has ordered 12 of these aircraft. The first is scheduled for delivery in April 2027, and nonstop commercial flights between Sydney and London are set to begin in October of that same year. The goal is to do away with the legendary "Kangaroo Route," which for decades forced travelers to have a layover, turning a journey that took several days into a single flight.
The test marks a technical milestone: it breaks the previous record set by a Boeing 777-200LR, which in 2005 flew 13,422 miles between Hong Kong and London in 22 hours and 42 minutes.
LATEST
