Qantas will launch non-stop flights between Sydney and London in October 2027 under its Project Sunrise programme, retaining the QF1 and QF2 flight numbers long associated with the Kangaroo Route. The airline says the new service will save up to four hours compared with its current service via Singapore. When the route began in 1947, the journey took four days and seven stops.
The flights will use specially configured Airbus A350-1000ULRs, each with 238 seats across four cabins and an additional 20,000-litre fuel tank. Qantas says the aircraft can fly more than 16,000 kilometres and remain airborne for up to 22 hours. The first of 12 aircraft is expected to arrive in April 2027, with tickets due to go on sale in February.
Qantas will retain its Sydney–London service via Singapore under flight numbers QF5 and QF6. Those numbers are currently used on the seasonal Perth–Rome service, which will become QF105 and QF106.