24-Hour Flight: Qantas’ Airbus A350-1000ULR Sets New Benchmark

Jet remained in the air longer than 24 hours on a nonstop flight from Melbourne to Toulouse.

Jack Daleo

Tuesday, July 28, 2026 at 12:00 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

An Airbus A350-1000ULR completed a 24-hour direct, nonstop flight from Melbourne, Australia, to Toulouse, France, this week as part of a two-month test campaign. [Credit: Airbus]

Key Takeaways:

An Airbus A350-1000ULR completed a record-setting 24-hour, 24-minute nonstop flight from Melbourne to Toulouse, covering over 23,000 km, setting unofficial records for distance and endurance.
This ultra-long-range variant is specifically designed for Qantas' Project Sunrise, which aims to launch the world's longest commercial nonstop flights from Sydney to London and New York by October 2027.
The A350-1000ULR features an extra fuel tank and other enhancements to achieve a 10,000 nm operational range, crucial for these extended journeys.
For passenger comfort on ultra-long flights, Qantas will limit seating to 238 passengers and include premium cabins and a "wellbeing zone" in the aircraft.

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An Airbus A350-1000ULR this week spent more than 24 hours in the air on a nonstop flight from Melbourne, Australia, to Toulouse, France, setting unofficial records for distance and endurance by a commercial airliner.

Airbus said Tuesday morning that the ultra-long-range A350-1000 variant landed in Toulouse after a 24-hour, 24-minute eastbound journey spanning 12,460 nm, or more than 23,000 km. The widebody airliner flew the “wrong way” from Australia rather than the shorter westbound route it took last week from Toulouse to Melbourne, which covered about 9,120 nm in around 19 hours and 12 minutes.