Say goodbye to stressful (and dull) hours-long layovers on the way to the Northern Hemisphere because Qantas has revealed plans for new non-stop international flights.
Qantas CEO Alan Joyce announced that the ultra-long haul flights from Sydney to London and New York will begin in 2025. Dubbed ‘Project Sunrise’, each flight will last around 20 hours, cutting up to four hours off the usual total travel time.
“The A350 and ‘Project Sunrise’ will make any city just one flight away from Australia,” Joyce said. “It’s the last frontier and the final fix for the tyranny of distance.”
‘Project Sunrise’ has been in the works for almost three years, with test flights taking place in 2019. The initial plan was to have the non-stop flights launch as early as next year. As the world opens up again, Qantas said the demand for non-stop flights has only grown over the past year.
Three more years seems enough time to decide if you can hack almost an entire day in the sky – it might get you to the U.K. faster but 20 hours in sweaty economy class will also have its drawbacks.
New York and London will be the first destinations but other routes are being planned. “The first Project sunrise flights will be from New York and London, but the aircraft will also be able to operate non-stop flights to Australia from destinations such as Paris and Frankfurt,” Joyce explained.
“The Qantas A350 travel experience will be truly exceptional, particularly across the premium cabins. Our First and Business Class seats will be a new benchmark for premium long-haul travel.”
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It’s not the first non-stop flight from Australia to London though. Qantas started operating a 17-hour flight from Perth to the U.K. capital back in 2018.
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Check out what it’s like to travel on a 20-hour flight:
