Qantas plans – Qantas says it will launch a direct London–Sydney flight next year aboard a specially modified A350-1000ULR, covering 17,015 kilometers in an estimated 19 to 22 hours. The airline’s plan hinges on premium travel economics, while industry ranking site AirlineRa
A Qantas jet is taking shape in Melbourne for a flight most airlines won’t even try to schedule: a nonstop run between London and Sydney expected to last as long as 22 hours.
The Sydney-based airline unveiled the first of its specially modified Airbus A350-1000 jets on Thursday—an A350-1000ULR—planned to make the 17,015-kilometer (10,573-mile) journey from October next year. Qantas says the route on opposite sides of the world is expected to take between 19 and 22 hours.
That would extend the lead of “world’s longest direct flight” in raw distance and time. The current longest regularly scheduled direct flight is Singapore Airlines’ route between its city-state base and New York City, flown over 15,349 kilometers (9,537 miles) in under 19 hours.
But comfort will differ in ways passengers may feel immediately.
Qantas’ customized A350-1000ULR is configured to carry only 238 passengers, compared with up to 480 on a standard Airbus A350-1000. Qantas’ version will include 140 seats in what’s colloquially termed “cattle class” on the London-to-Sydney flights.
For economy travelers. Qantas is also positioning its route against a different benchmark: the farthest an economy passenger can currently fly on a direct flight in the world is Qantas between London and Perth on Australia’s west coast. covering 14. 499 kilometers (9. 009 miles) in 16 to 18 hours. Perth sits on Australia’s west coast; Sydney is on the east.
Sharon Petersen. chief executive officer of AirlineRatings. an Australia-based website that ranks airlines around the world on their products and safety. said Qantas economy seats on the London–Sydney route would offer more legroom than most long-haul airlines. She added that economy passengers would have access to a “Wellbeing Zone” between economy and premium economy cabins. where they could stretch and help themselves to drinks and snacks.
Still, she said she wouldn’t want to sit through the full stretch in economy.
“The reason for that is 22 hours is really daunting. If you get sat next to someone who’s smelly, is perhaps really unwell and coughing, perhaps there’s a baby sitting next to you that’s having an uncomfortable flight or an oversized passenger who really needs two seats,” Petersen said.
Petersen believes two shorter flights are a safer option for the experience itself. “If you’ve got it wrong on one flight, you might be okay on the next. You get a break,” she said.
Qantas, for its part, says passengers will pay more for direct flights when tickets go on sale in February than they do for flights that make a stop in Singapore. The company says the nonstop service will save up to four hours of travel time.
Petersen said she sees the case for direct travel in business class. calling it a strong option for passengers who could potentially sleep for eight hours without the disruption of disembarking at Singapore. But she returned to a simple point: for many travelers. a 22-hour direct itinerary can turn routine problems into all-day ones.
She also tied the aircraft configuration to the physical realities of such a long route. Petersen said the smaller passenger setup on Qantas’ A350-1000ULR is meant to enhance comfort and to compensate for the additional tank carrying 20,000 liters (5,283 gallons) of fuel.
Her view of the business plan is direct: on flights this long, profitability leans on premium travelers. “Because the flight is so long, they can’t rely on cargo because of the weight. So it really is a passenger-heavy aircraft and a premium passenger-heavy aircraft at that to get the profit margin. ” Petersen said.
Qantas also outlined what comes next after London–Sydney. Once the Sydney–London direct route is established, the airline said its next ultralong-haul direct service will be Sydney–New York, at 16,013 kilometers (9,950 miles).
For now, the countdown is tied to October next year—when passengers will find out whether saving up to four hours is worth the stretch of sitting still, and for how many, that question will begin the moment the A350-1000ULR doors close.
Qantas London Sydney nonstop A350-1000ULR Airbus A350-1000 ultralong-haul flights AirlineRatings Sharon Petersen economy seating wellbeing zone
22 hours nonstop?? I’m not built for that lol. Sounds like they’re just trying to flex more than help people.
Wait so it’s only 238 passengers but like 140 are “cattle class”?? That’s such a weird way to sell a flight. Also isn’t the A350 like… already comfortable? Why the downgrade?
So they’re modifying a plane to go 22 hours and carry half the people, but it’s gonna be cheaper for economy? That math doesn’t seem right. Also if Singapore can do it in under 19 then why would Qantas take longer? maybe they just want the title and charge extra.
I saw this and thought it was like a cargo plane thing? 17,015 km is insane though. Hopefully they have bathrooms that actually work the whole time because 2 hours sitting there is bad enough. I saw a clip where someone said “cattle class” seats are basically torture so… we’ll see I guess.