Qantas has announced it will begin direct flights from Sydney to London and New York from 2025.
The Flying Kangaroo will champion the longest passenger flights in the world, and it is expected it will take more than 19 hours.
The airline will order a dozen Airbus A350-1000 aircrafts for the new long-haul flights.
Qantas has been working on its so-called Project Sunrise for almost five years, plotting flights of more than 20 hours from Sydney and Melbourne to London and New York.
A Qantas test flight direct from New York to Sydney in 2019 took 19 hours and 16 minutes.
The airline had hoped to launch the record-breaking flights in 2023 but the COVID-19 pandemic put plans on ice.
The airline believes passengers will pay extra to save time and avoid layovers in destinations like Dubai, Singapore and Los Angeles and it will be reflected in the new A350 layout. Around 41 per cent of the plan will be reserved for premium seats.
The long-range jets will have 238 passengers across four cabins: six in first class, 52 in business, 40 in premium economy, and 140 in economy. The plane will also have a wellbeing zone which will be available for passengers to combat the physical toll of flying for more than 20 hours.
“New types of aircraft make new things possible. That’s what makes today’s announcement so significant,” Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce said.
“The A350 and Project Sunrise will make any city just one flight away from Australia.”
