The adventure of the world’s longest flight, announced by Qantas as part of Project Sunrise, has just reached another major milestone. This Thursday morning, shortly after 7:30 a.m (local time), the Airbus A350-1000ULR prototype destined for Qantas took off from Toulouse-Blagnac Airport to fly to Melbourne without a single stop. This technical and human challenge spans nearly 17,000 kilometers and is set to conclude the following day on Australian soil.
Flying farther than ever before:
The aircraft on this mission bears the registration F-WULR and the serial number MSN 707. It is the very first A350-1000ULR to roll off the Airbus assembly lines, part of a total order of 12 aircraft placed by the Australian airline. This prototype, which does not yet have a commercial cabin, is entirely dedicated to testing and is equipped with advanced measurement instrumentation for the ongoing certification campaign.
Its maiden flight took place on June 2, with a 3-hour, 43-minute inaugural flight over the Atlantic, reaching a maximum altitude of just over 41,000 feet. Since then, the aircraft has completed several test flights, notably to Cardiff, where tests involving fuel heating validated the fuel system’s performance under extreme conditions.