Qantas’s plans for non-stop flights from Sydney, London and New York have suffered a setback, with Australian travellers now having to wait until 2027 for the ambitious plan.
In a blow to Australian travellers, Qantas has announced aircraft manufacturer Airbus’ new planes will be delayed by a further four months.
Under a new plan dubbed project sunrise, Qantas aims to cut the travel time to New York or London through a new custom made plane.
But the new A350-1000URL aircraft – which carries an additional 20,000 litres in the rear centre fuel tank – has been delayed until April 2027.
Airbus said the delay was “largely due to the impact of supply chain issues” which was disrupting the European manufacturer’s entire A350 schedule.
In a statement to NewsWire, Qantas confirmed the delays, as it closely works with Airbus on delivery of the planes.
“While the first aircraft delivery has shifted to April 2027, the next four will follow in quick succession, putting us back on our original schedule by November,” a Qantas Spokesperson said.
“We continue to work closely with Airbus on the delivery and certification process that will enable us to begin operating these history-making ultra long-haul flights.”
Qantas says the new planes are in the paint shop in Toulouse and will start test flights in a number of weeks.
The airline also confirmed training for pilots is well underway through simulators in Sydney.
It’s the latest in a series of delays for the project, which was initially slated to start in 2023, and then 2026 after Covid disrupted the original plan.
Direct services are expected to cut up to four hours off total travel time compared with current one-stop routes.
Qantas currently operates a non-stop service from Perth to London in about 18 hours. Project Sunrise aims to push the limits further with direct flights from Australia’s east coast to London and New York.
The company said the Project Sunrise name paid homage to Qantas’ historic Double Sunrise flights during World War II that stayed airborne long enough for crew to see two sunrises.
