London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 18, 2025

Qantas promises direct flights from Sydney to London and New York

Qantas promises direct flights from Sydney to London and New York

Qantas has announced it will begin operating non-stop flights from Sydney to London and New York from 2025.

Australia's national carrier said it had purchased a new fleet of Airbus A350-1000 jets capable of direct flights to any city in the world.

The first Sydney-London flights will depart in late 2025 and take about 20 hours, making them the world's longest passenger flights.

The route, launched in 1947, once took 58 hours and seven stops.

"It's the last frontier and the final fix for the tyranny of distance," chief executive Alan Joyce said in a statement.

Qantas has been working on the plan - dubbed Project Sunrise - for about five years, but implementation has been delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

In 2018 it began offering direct 17-hour direct flights between London and Perth in Western Australia, and in 2019 it conducted a series of test flights from the east coast to the UK and New York.

The new fleet of 12 planes will begin arriving in 2025, with the order to be completed by 2028.

The airline did not say how much it would charge for seats in its four classes: first, business, premium economy and economy.

Each plane will be able to carry 238 passengers with 40% of the cabin dedicated to premium seating. Seats will be roomier than usual, Qantas says.

Travellers will also be able to access a "wellbeing zone" in the centre of the plane - with a self-service snack bar and space for stretching and movement - to combat the effects of spending 20 hours in the air.

Qantas says a space called the wellbeing zone will allow passengers to move, stretch and hydrate


'Possible price war'


Paul Charles, a former Virgin Atlantic communications director, told BBC News the success of the route relied on a cheaper price to attract travellers - who would otherwise break their journey with a stop in the Middle East.

Mr Charles, who now runs a travel consultancy, said: "It's fine if you're in business class and at the front of the plane with more space, but if you're flying economy most people will want to break their journey and it would be a very tough 20-hour flight.

Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce says demand for direct international flights is stronger than before the pandemic


He predicted a price war over fares between Europe and Australia - as Middle East airlines operating out of hubs like Dubai and Doha face down the threat from Qantas and its direct service.

Qantas could also have a challenge on its hands to make the flight comfortable and entertaining for passengers, Mr Charles added, as well as ensuring their wellbeing.

Asked whether other airlines could follow Qantas' lead in launching ultra-long haul flights, he said: "The question is in 2025 when this is due to launch, what will the world look like?"

"Will we want to fly such long-haul routes or will consumers want to fly short-haul on more environmentally friendly flights that are shorter in duration?"


'Stuck in one position'


YouTuber Noel Philips describes ultra-long haul flights as "brutal on the body"


The experience of ultra-long haul flying can be "brutal on the body", according to travel YouTuber Noel Philips.

Mr Philips has flown 18 hours on a non-stop Qatar Airways flight from Auckland to Doha, and 16 hours on a non-stop Qantas flight from London to Perth.

"The problem is you're sort of stuck in one position for such a long period of time," he said.

"Especially with some of the older aircraft, there's the issue of dehydration on the body as well, which can take it out of you.

"But the airlines are recognising these flights can be brutal on the body and doing things to make it a bit easier.

"You were getting smoothies to help with your hydration... and the entertainment Qantas had on their Perth route was really good."

He said he reckoned there would be "incredible demand" for the service due to the family and business ties between the UK and Australia.

"If people can do a non-stop flight, I think people will prefer to do a non-stop flight to Australia," he added.

"With a stopover somewhere it's just prolonging the whole experience and it turns into a bit of a faff."

Currently Qantas operates non-stop flights between UK and Australia, with Boeing 787s linking London's Heathrow Airport and the Northern Territory city of Darwin.

The flight from Australia takes about 17 hours, and the return journey is about 16 hours long.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
US Tech Giants Pledge Billions to UK AI Infrastructure Following Starmer's Call
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
DeepMind and OpenAI Achieve Gold at ‘Coding Olympics’ in AI Milestone
SEC Allows Public Companies to Block Investors from Class-Action Lawsuits
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Federal Reserve Cuts Rates by Quarter Point and Signals More to Come
Effective and Impressive Generation Z Protest: Images from the Riots in Nepal
European manufacturers against ban on polluting cars: "The industry may collapse"
Sam Altman sells the 'Wedding Estate' in Hawaii for 49 million dollars
Trump: Cancel quarterly company reports and settle for reporting once every six months
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
US Launches New Pilot Program to Accelerate eVTOL Air Taxi Deployment
Christian Brueckner Released from German Prison after Serving Unrelated Sentence
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Hong Kong Industry Group Calls for HK$20 Billion Support Fund to Ease Property Market Stress
Joe Biden’s Post-Presidency Speaking Fees Face Weak Demand amid Corporate Reluctance
Charlie Kirk's murder will break the left's hateful cancel tactics
Kash Patel erupts at ‘buffoon’ Sen. Adam Schiff over Russiagate: ‘You are the biggest fraud’
Homeland Security says Emmy speech ‘fanning the flames of hatred’ after Einbinder’s ‘F— ICE’ remark
Charlie Kirk’s Alleged Assassin Tyler Robinson Faces Death Penalty as Charges Formally Announced
Actor, director, environmentalist Robert Redford dies at 89
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
JD Vance Says There Is “No Unity” with Those Who Celebrate Charlie Kirk’s Killing, and he is right!
Trump sues the 'New York Times' for an astronomical sum of 15 billion dollars
Florida Hospital Welcomes Its Largest-Ever Baby: Annan, Nearly Fourteen Pounds at Birth
U.S. and Britain Poised to Finalize Over $10 Billion in High-Tech, Nuclear and Defense Deals During Trump State Visit
China Finds Nvidia Violated Antitrust Laws in Mellanox Deal, Deepens Trade Tensions with US
US Air Force Begins Modifications on Qatar-Donated Jet Amid Plans to Use It as Air Force One
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
Elon Musk Retakes Lead as World’s Richest After Brief Ellison Surge
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
×