Qantas advances Project Sunrise with landmark non-stop Australia-New York service

Qantas has announced it will launch the first-ever non-stop commercial flights between Sydney and New York from mid-2028, marking a major milestone for its landmark Project Sunrise initiative. Tickets for the inaugural service are expected to go on sale in August 2027, ahead of the route's official debut. The ultra-long-haul flights will reduce total travel time by more than three hours compared to current one-stop options, enabling passengers to travel directly between Australia's east coast and New York for the first time in aviation history.

The Sydney-New York route becomes the second confirmed destination under Project Sunrise, following the launch of Qantas' non-stop Sydney-London services, scheduled to commence in October 2027.

Qantas' connection with New York dates back to 1958, when the airline operated its first round-the-world service from Sydney via Fiji, Honolulu and San Francisco. Today, the carrier serves the route daily through Auckland, but Project Sunrise will eliminate the need for a stopover, creating a seamless trans-Pacific journey between the two global cities.

The Project Sunrise flights will be operated by specially configured Airbus A350-1000ULR aircraft, fitted with an additional 20,000-litre fuel tank that enables the aircraft to fly more than 16,000 kilometres, and up to 22 hours non-stop. Qantas will take delivery of 12 aircraft in total, each configured with 238 seats across four cabins. The first aircraft is currently completing the final stages of its flight test programme and recently achieved a significant milestone, recording a non-stop flight of 24 hours and 24 minutes from Melbourne to Toulouse, setting a new benchmark for commercial aviation. Delivery of the inaugural aircraft to Qantas is expected in April next year.

Demand for travel between Australia and the United States continues to strengthen, with US visitor arrivals to Australia increasing year-on-year. At the same time, demand on Qantas' New York services has nearly doubled since 2023, while interest in non-stop ultra-long-haul travel continues to rise, particularly among premium passengers seeking greater convenience and time savings.

Qantas' experience in ultra-long-haul operations is well established. Since 2018, almost two million passengers have travelled on the airline's direct international services, including routes linking Perth with London, Rome and Paris, as well as Melbourne with Dallas and Auckland with New York. These services consistently rank among the highest-rated routes across the carrier's international network.

The introduction of non-stop Sydney-New York flights in 2028 will mark a new chapter in trans-Pacific travel, significantly expanding options for passengers and providing the fastest and most convenient connection yet between Australia and one of the world's most important global hubs.

Qantas Group CEO Vanessa Hudson commented: “Conquering the tyranny of distance has been part of who Qantas is from the very beginning. Reaching New York non-stop completes a vision we set out many years ago, and it's a moment of enormous pride for the thousands of our people who have been working hard to make Project Sunrise a reality. New York has always captured the imagination, and for generations, reaching it from Australia has meant breaking up the journey somewhere along the way. From 2028, our customers will be able to board in Sydney and arrive in New York around 18 hours later without stopping once, cutting around three hours off the current fastest travel time. That changes what's possible for travel between our two countries. Flying these distances is only worth doing if our customers arrive feeling their best, and that belief has shaped everything we've built. Over the past decade, working alongside experts, we've designed the aircraft and the onboard experience around the science of ultra long-haul travel, from the lighting to the meals to a world-first Wellbeing Zone. This is a fundamentally different way to fly."

In preparation for the aircraft's arrival, Qantas pilots have commenced training on Australia's first A350 simulator in Sydney. More than 360 Qantas pilots and 1,200 cabin crew will be trained to operate Qantas' fleet of Project Sunrise aircraft by the time the 12th A350-1000ULR arrives.