Qantas (QF, Sydney Kingsford Smith) has selected London Heathrow as the first destination for its direct, non-stop services from Sydney Kingsford Smith as part of Project Sunrise, the airline announced in a press release. The ultra-long-haul route is slated to debut in October 2027.

Qantas Group chief executive Vanessa Hudson said: "We made a commitment in 2017 that Qantas would conquer the final frontier of long-haul aviation and connect Australia's east coast directly to London, something that has never before been possible. From October 2027, that promise becomes reality."

The carrier will follow the Sydney-London route with flights between Sydney and New York JFK, with schedule details to be announced in 2027. It plans to train more than 360 pilots and 1,200 cabin crew members to operate the new fleet by the time all 12 aircraft are delivered.

The launch timetable follows previous delays, as the first of 12 ordered A350-1000(ULR)s will now arrive in April 2027 instead of late 2026, as reported by ch-aviation. Airbus blamed supply chain challenges for the delivery delays, while the project also faced setbacks from European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) due to fuel tank modification requirements.

Qantas expects four A350-1000(ULR)s to arrive in rapid succession to restore its delivery schedule by November 2027, and tickets will go on sale in February 2027. The aircraft will be configured with 238 seats across four cabins.

The modified aircraft features an additional 20,000-litre fuel tank to enable flights of more than 16,000 kilometres. The first production aircraft, msn 707, completed its first flight on June 2, 2026, and has entered an eight-week certification programme.

Despite the plans to launch ultra-long-haul services from Sydney, the airline aims to retain its secondary intercontinental hub at Perth International, which can be reached directly from Europe with B787-9s. Qantas plans to deploy six A350-1000(ULR)s on new point-to-point routes, while the other half will allow network diversification and the redeployment of its B787-9 fleet to other routes.

Qantas operates a fleet of 138 aircraft, comprising seven A321-200NY(XLR)s, sixteen A330-200s, twelve A330-300s, ten A380-800s, seventy-nine B737-800s, and fourteen B787-9s.