A specially modified Airbus A350-1000ULR flew nonstop from Melbourne, Australia, to Toulouse, France, covering approximately 23,075 to 23,076 kilometers in 24 hours and 24 minutes on July 28, 2026, establishing a new record for the longest commercial or test flight by a commercial aircraft [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]. This surpasses the previous record set in 2005 by a Boeing 777-200LR flying from Hong Kong to London in 22 hours and 42 minutes [1, 2, 3, 6].
The aircraft is an ultra long range (ULR) variant of the A350-1000, equipped with an additional 20,000-litre rear centre fuel tank allowing extended flight range [1, 2, 4, 5, 6]. It seats 238 passengers and carries this added fuel capacity compared to the standard A350-1000 [1, 3, 6]. During the test flight, the plane crossed three continents and two oceans, experiencing two sunsets and two sunrises over the 24-hour period [2, 4, 5, 6].
Flight tracking platform Flightradar24 recorded the test flight as the second-most-tracked flight in its history, with over 3.6 million people following the aircraft's progress [1, 3, 6]. Earlier that month, a prior test flight from Toulouse to Melbourne took about 19 hours and 12 minutes to cover around 17,000 kilometers [1, 4, 5].
Qantas has ordered 12 of the modified A350-1000ULR aircraft to operate ultra long haul nonstop flights connecting Australia with Europe and the United States, targeting routes such as Sydney to London and New York with approximate flight times of 20 hours [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]. The airline's "Project Sunrise" program has been in development for nine years but has faced several delays [4, 5].
Currently, the longest regularly scheduled commercial passenger flight is Singapore Airlines' A350-900ULR flight between Singapore and New York, which covers 15,350 kilometers in about 18 hours and 50 minutes [2, 4, 5].
Qantas expects to receive its first A350-1000ULR aircraft in April 2027, with plans to begin daily nonstop commercial service on the Sydney-London route in October 2027 [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6].
