QANTAS 'SUNRISE' TAKES FORM IN TOULOUSE

The race to conquer ultra-long-haul aviation has entered a pivotal phase as Qantas' first Project Sunrise aircraft moves from concept to reality. With engineering milestones now stacking up in Toulouse, the airline is edging closer to redefining global travel and challenging long-standing assumptions about the limits of commercial flight.

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In a brightly lit hangar in Toulouse, France, a milestone in aviation history is quietly being assembled.

The first metal has been cut, and the major components of Qantas's first Airbus A350-1000, destined to become the world's longest-range commercial aircraft, are coming together. With this, Qantas has reached a vital inflexion point in its ultra-long-haul ambition known as Project Sunrise. According to Qantas, the forward, centre and rear fuselage sections have been joined, and wings, tail, and landing gear are now affixed, a confirmation that the airline is moving from dream to hardware.

Industry watchers claim that few modern aviation ventures carry the weight of history and ambition quite like Qantas's Project Sunrise. Echoing its famed 'Double Sunrise' flights from the 1940s, the project's mission is to conquer the final frontiers of commercial travel. The target is clear and formidable: to establish the world's longest nonstop commercial flights, linking Australian hubs like Sydney and Melbourne directly to global capitals such as New York and London, thereby rendering the traditional layover obsolete.

In the coming days, the aircraft is set to be transferred into a dedicated hangar for engine installation and instrumentation for flight testing. Qantas says an “extensive” test-flight programme will begin in 2026, as part of the rigorous certification process required to push this airframe to 22-hour mission viability.

At the heart of the Project Sunrise A350-1000ULR is a 20,000-litre rear centre fuel tank, a significant engineering adaptation that extends the aircraft's range well beyond standard configurations. This, along with enhanced systems, makes the 22-hour nonstop flights, Sydney or Melbourne to London or New York, technically feasible. According to Qantas, the configuration could trim up to four hours off current one-stop travel times.