Australian airline Qantas has claimed a new world record for the longest commercial flight ever conducted, with a specially modified Airbus A350-1000ULR remaining airborne for more than 24 hours.
According to Airbus and flight-tracking data, the aircraft departed Melbourne, Australia, at 5:27 p.m. local time on July 27 and landed at Airbus headquarters in Toulouse, France, at approximately 9:52 a.m. local time on July 28. The journey lasted around 24 hours and 24 minutes and covered 23,075 kilometers, flying over the Pacific Ocean, the United States, Canada, and the Atlantic Ocean.
The flight surpassed the previous endurance record of 22 hours and 42 minutes, set in 2005 by a Boeing 777-200LR during a Hong Kong-to-London demonstration flight.
The aircraft, registered as F-WWULR, performed a brief go-around before landing. More than 120,000 people tracked the flight live, while FlightRadar24 reported that over 3.6 million users followed its progress, making it the second most-tracked flight in the platform’s history. The only flight to attract more attention was the one carrying the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II.
The aircraft used for the mission was a specially modified Airbus A350-1000ULR (Ultra Long Range), equipped with an additional 20,000-liter fuel tank to support ultra-long-haul operations. Airbus has been conducting a two-month certification program since June to test the aircraft’s performance.
Just one week earlier, the same aircraft completed another test flight from Toulouse to Melbourne via the Indian Ocean in just over 19 hours.
During the latest mission, engineers evaluated the aircraft’s upgraded fuel system, cabin noise levels, air circulation system, and other technologies designed for flights lasting nearly a full day. A total of 12 people were on board, including eight Airbus flight-test personnel, two Qantas pilots, and two Airbus engineers.
Qantas has ordered 12 Airbus A350-1000ULR aircraft for its ambitious Project Sunrise. Each aircraft will accommodate 238 passengers and is designed to operate nonstop flights from Sydney to London or New York in approximately 19 to 21 hours, depending on weather conditions.
The first aircraft is scheduled for delivery in April 2027, with daily nonstop Sydney–London services expected to begin in October of the same year.
Project Sunrise has been under development for nearly a decade and has faced multiple delays. Once operational, it is expected to transform the historic Kangaroo Route by allowing passengers to travel between Australia and the United Kingdom on a single nonstop flight—a journey that once took up to five days.
Currently, the world’s longest scheduled commercial passenger service is Singapore Airlines’ nonstop route between Singapore and New York. Operated by another variant of the Airbus A350, the flight covers approximately 15,350 kilometers in just over 18 hours.
