This Airbus flew nonstop for 24-hours. 3.5M people tracked it
What's the story
Airbus's new passenger jet, the A350-1000ULR, has successfully completed an ultra-long test flight from Australia to France. The historic journey lasted over 24 hours and is a major milestone in the aviation industry. The aircraft was specially designed for Qantas Airways' upcoming nonstop flights between Sydney and New York or London.
Project details
Qantas orders 12 A350-1000ULRs for Project Sunrise
Qantas Airways has ordered 12 units of the new A350-1000ULR for its ambitious Project Sunrise. The airline plans to start ticket sales in 2027.
The aircraft had been undergoing initial test flights near Airbus facilities in Toulouse, France, with a small team of test pilots and test engineers before its first ultra-long-haul test flight last week.
Flight details
Flight took off from Melbourne and landed in Toulouse
The A350-1000ULR took off from Toulouse on July 23 and landed in Melbourne, Australia after a flight of 19 hours and 13 minutes.
This set the stage for its likely record-breaking return journey which lasted 24 hours and 25 minutes.
The flight covered a total of 12,460 nautical miles between takeoff from Melbourne on July 27 and landing in Toulouse on July 28.
Flight features
What makes the A350-1000ULR special?
The A350-1000ULR comes with an additional rear center fuel tank that can hold 20,900-liter of fuel.
This increases the aircraft's range by 1,000 nautical miles, enough to cover the nearly 10,000 nautical miles for nonstop flights between Sydney and London or New York.
It also has a twin flight crew rest compartment to let pilots enter or exit rest areas without disturbing each other during commercial flights.
Pilot participation
Here is how the flight was manned
The first outbound flight to Melbourne had four Airbus pilots and five flight-test engineers.
But for the return journey to Toulouse, two Qantas pilots also joined the test flight crew that included three Airbus pilots and five flight test engineers.
"We have organized a schedule to allow a Qantas pilot to take the controls at specific times," said Xavier Pepin, an Airbus test pilot who captained the return journey.
Flight tracking
More than 3.6 million people tracked the flight
The aircraft drew considerable attention during its first ultra-long-haul round trip.
More than 3.6 million people tracked the aircraft during its return from Melbourne to Toulouse, according to Flightradar24.
That made it the second-most-tracked flight ever on the platform, coming in only behind the Royal Air Force flight that carried Queen Elizabeth II's coffin in 2022.