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Qantas Airways said that at the beginning of 2027. He would start his flights of “Project Sunrise” by Ultra long duration, as the Australian carrier bets for a strong demand for passengers for direct routes.
Vanessa Hudson, Executive Director, said the first of 12 Airbus A350-1000 aircraft would be shipped at the end of next year. The airline plans to offer customers some of the world’s longest flights between London and Sydney, and New York and Sydney. The decision has not yet been made on which route will be launched first. Flights are expected to last until 7pm.
The aircraft passengers are expected to pay an estimated 20 percent of the Sydney tickets, but Hudson said that the airline receives positive feedback on customers about its current direct service between London and Perth, which she launched in 2018.
The Sunrise project is part of a wider refreshment of the airline fleet with previous plans to upgrade their aircraft that have delayed in recent years. When the carrier ordered his plane in 2022, he announced the launch of 2025 for the flights of Ultra long road. He was then pushed back in the part after the regulators asked Airbus to redesign additional fuel tank on the aircraft.
Qantas He was still “very confident” in demand for services, Hudson told reporters to the side of Airbus events in Toulouse. She added that customers’ feedback showed that passengers were ready to pay a premium experience.
“There are absolutely customers who say,” I appreciate getting there in one stop. I appreciate the point. I appreciate the premium experience and I am ready to pay for it, “Hudson said.
Considering the length of the flights, the airline is working with the Charles Perkins Center in Sydney to study how passengers will be able to operate a jet lag, “when to eat, when to sleep, when to move,” Hudson said. “We will build this into an integral part of the flight experience.”
Piloti Qantas collected data on a wind -worth of 12 months and work to simulate flight planning. “There will be restrictions on the useful cargo we will be able to manage,” Hudson said about the number of passengers, cargo and luggage that the plane can carry.
The airline will still need to perform local certification flights before the start of services.
“We will need three aircraft to be able to have a daily service, either from Sydney to New York or Sydney to London. Then, as other planes come, we will be able to fill the net,” Hudson said, but we did not name any other route.
The successful launch of the project is a key test for Hudson, veteran Qantas, who took over the long -lasting predecessor Alan Joyce in 2023. She took the reins at a time when the Australian airplane suffered a crisis of reputable services due to difficult services and regulatory investigation, as they were not conducted on tickets.
The airline, which also owns the Jetstar Airways budget brand, has invested in improving its services by stroking food and complaints at flight to its shares have reached a record maximum in January this year after renewing its loyalty program.
However, Avio -Company faced the renovated competition of her main domestic rival Virgin Airlines after the Qatar Airways acquired a 25 percent stake in the Australian business, which amplified the competition on the lucrative international routes via the Middle East.
Asked about Qantas flight disorders during last week’s interruption at Heathrow London, Hudson said the carrier had to divert two of his flight to Paris and then the bus passengers to the UK. Hudson said the airline did not think about legal proceedings, but added that such events were “incredibly expensive” operators.
