1 month ago

Qantas Airbus A350 Completes 24-Hour Test Flight

Qantas Airbus A350 Completes 24-Hour Test Flight
How Did Qantas Make History By Flying 24-Hours Non-Stop: All About The Ultra-Long-Haul Mission · news18.com

Airbus and Qantas recently completed a very long test flight that lasted more than 24 hours.

They flew an Airbus A350-1000ULR airplane from Melbourne, Australia, to Toulouse, France, without stopping.

This flight was part of a project called Project Sunrise, which aims to offer nonstop flights from Australia to London and New York starting in 2027.

The airplane is specially designed to carry extra fuel and can fly for almost a full day without landing.

This test flight was watched by millions of people online, making it one of the most tracked flights ever.

The project has been in development for nearly a decade and will significantly reduce travel time for passengers.

Key facts

Flight Duration
24 hours and 24 minutes
Distance Covered
23,075 km (14,338 miles)
Aircraft Model
Airbus A350-1000ULR
Departure Location
Melbourne, Australia
Arrival Location
Toulouse, France
Number of Passengers
12 (8 Airbus test crew, 2 Qantas pilots, 2 Airbus engineers)
Project Name
Project Sunrise
Expected Commercial Service Start
October 2027

Quotes

Xavier Pepin

Airbus test pilot who captained the return flight

“We have organised a schedule to allow a Qantas pilot to take the controls at specific times. Each pilot covered a four-hour shift, and the crew was rotated every two hours. This staggered approach ensures that when a new pilot joins the cockpit, they overlap for two hours with the outgoing pilot.”
wionews.com

Sources

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