Airbus A350-1000ULR sets Guinness record for longest commercial flight, 24 hours non-stop

The record flight

Airbus said on 9 November that an A350-1000ULR being developed for Qantas Airways had flown the longest commercial flight on record. The aircraft left Melbourne at 17:27 local time on Monday, 27 July and landed in Toulouse at 09:51 local time on Tuesday, 28 July. In total it covered 12,503 nautical miles (23,155 kilometres) without a stop in 24 hours and 24 minutes. Airbus said the record rests on flight data validated independently by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale and flightradar24. The aircraft carried the registration AIB35LR.

Crew and route over three continents

Thirteen people were on board, including three Airbus test pilots, two Qantas pilots, five Airbus flight test engineers, two Airbus design engineers and a representative of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale. The jet first overflew Sydney, then headed northeast over the Pacific toward Los Angeles, crossed North America and the Atlantic, and turned south toward the United Kingdom before landing in Toulouse. The crew saw two sunrises and two sunsets during a trip that crossed three continents and two oceans. The test campaign called for a flight of at least 23 hours to simulate the longest commercial flights the aircraft could operate. Lars Wagner, chief executive of Airbus's commercial aircraft division, said:

“By flying 12,503 nautical miles non-stop, we have fully demonstrated the aircraft's ability to fulfil its mission. And this world record is the icing on the cake!”

Project Sunrise routes

Project Sunrise is the programme under which Qantas expects to fly non-stop from Sydney to London and New York, routes of close to 10,000 nautical miles (about 18,520 kilometres) with flight times of up to 22 hours. The A350-1000ULR gets that reach from an additional rear central fuel tank built into the structure, which adds 1,000 nautical miles of range. Qantas has ordered 12 A350-1000ULRs. The first delivery is planned for April 2027, with the Sydney to London service starting later that year. The chart below compares the record flight distance with the planned Sydney route.

Record flight, Melbourne to Toulouse23,155

Sydney to London or New York (close to 10,000 nautical miles)18,520

Record flight, Melbourne to Toulouse

23155 km

Sydney to London or New York (close to 10,000 nautical miles)

18520 km

Data from the article text

The A350 family

The A350-1000ULR is the fourth passenger variant of the A350 family, joining the A350-900, A350-900ULR and A350-1000. By the end of October 2026 the family had received 1,628 orders from 70 customers. More than 740 aircraft were in service with 42 operators, mainly on long-haul routes around the world. The A350F freighter, still in development, is due to make its first flight later this year.