New Qantas jetliners will make record-breaking nonstop 22-hour flights | CNN

Sign up for Unlocking the World, CNN Travel’s weekly newsletter. Get news about destinations, plus the latest in aviation, food and drink, and where to stay. This week’s Unlocking the World newsletter is all about air travel: the world’s busiest and best-rated airports, the most innovative new seat designs, and the most ambitious upcoming flight routes. Australian airline Qantas Airways’ much-talked-about Project Sunrise will see a fleet of 12 Airbus A350-1000ULRs take on record-breaking 22-hour flights from Sydney to London and New York. Newly released pictures show that the very first plane of the ultra-long-range crack team has rolled off the final assembly line in Toulouse, France. Now complete with high-thrust Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 engines, it’s primed to undergo ground tests ahead of the expected launch of commercial flights in 2027. The first photos of the Qantas planes came out late last year. To make passengers more comfortable on those marathon nonstop routes, the fleet will have spacious, ergonomically designed cabins with a seat count of just 238, compared to the standard 400 on other A350-1000s. More than 40% of seats will be in premium cabins, with the to

Apr 18, 2026 → Apr 25, 2026