Qantas picks A350-1000 for non-stop London, New York flights

Qantas has chosen Airbus’ A350-1000 as the aircraft it will use for non-stop flights from Australia’s east coast to New York and London, but delayed a decision on whether to go ahead with the new routes by three months.

The airline on Friday said the Airbus jet had beaten Boeing’s 777X-8 as the preferred aircraft for its so-called “Project Sunrise” flights, which will be the longest commercial airline routes in aviation history. Qantas has yet not placed a binding order, but says it will buy up to 12 of the Airbus jets if it goes ahead with the ultra-long haul flights.

Singapore Airlines uses the A350-1000 to fly the world’s current longest route, Singapore to Newark. Airbus will install an extra fuel tank and increase its maximum takeoff weight to be able to operate Qantas’ missions.

Qantas had intended on making a “yes or no” decision on Project Sunrise by the end of this year. But on Friday it said it was pushing that deadline back to March 2020. However the flights could still launch in the first half of 2023, the airline said.

More to come