Qantas delays nonstop flights from Sydney to London – again

Problematic history of airline’s Project Sunrise continues, with scheduled start date pushed back to October 2027 Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Qantas has again delayed its planned nonstop service between Sydney and London, with the flights now scheduled to start in October 2027, while quietly dropping references to direct flights from Melbourne and Brisbane. The airline noted on Wednesday that “aircraft delivery, on-sale and service commencement” were all “subject to regulatory approvals and aircraft certification”. Qantas previously blamed delays on an extended wait for delivery of new specially designed Airbus A350s. Qantas announced Project Sunrise in 2017. The Covid-19 pandemic pushed back the airline’s predicted 2022 launch and the service has since been repeatedly delayed. In November 2025, the company said the service would start in the first half of 2027, with Airbus set to deliver the first specially configured A350-1000ULR by late 2026. But Airbus earlier this month revealed the first aircraft would be delivered in April 2027, pushing back the start date again. The chief exec