Singapore Airlines has held the record for world’s longest flight since 2016. Their trip from Singapore to New York is more than 9,500 miles. In 2025, Qantas Airways is looking to top that.
The Australian airline will fly 10,576 miles from Sydney to London, with passengers in the air for approximately 20 hours. The almost day-long flight will be nonstop.
As travel demands have caused airlines to provide larger and faster planes, the ability to fly longer distances has become possible. Flight distances have increased by 33% within the last 26 years. Due to the airline’s increasing capacity to handle long routes, the world’s longest flight title has changed seven times within the same period.
Qantas is following suit by ordering 12 Airbus A350-1000 aircrafts. Travel Pulse states the plane can hold around 350 to 410 passengers. Qantas ensures passengers are comfortable on the extended flights. The first-class suites will offer a separate bed, recliner chair and wardrobe.
The longer flights are part of the airline’s five-year plan to launch and operate “Project Sunrise.”
Destinations will include cities such as London and New York. Qantas describes their new initiative as “the final frontier in aviation.”
Money Control shared a statement from Qantas chairman Alan Joyce about “Project Sunrise.”
“New types of aircraft make new things possible,” Joyce said. “The A350 and Project Sunrise will make any city just one flight away from Australia.”
Qantas has been preparing for the long haul trips since 2019. Money Control shared the details of their research flights.
The airline operated trial flights from London to Sydney that clocked in at 11,030 miles. That’s around 19 hours and 19 minutes. They also tried a U.S.-based trip from New York to Sydney that was 10,200 miles and 20 mins less than the previous test flight.
Martie Bowser is a journalist and public relations professional in Charlotte, NC. She enjoys amplifying the voices of POC and women that fill a void within their community. Her bylines include “person of interest” interviews, small business highlights, pop culture commentary, entertainment features, and everything Beyonce.
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