Qantas delays non-stop Sydney-London launch to October 2027

Qantas has delayed the start of its non-stop Sydney-London Project Sunrise service to October 2027, resetting the timetable for what the airline has long described as its flagship ultra-long-haul route.

The new schedule follows another delay in the delivery of the Airbus A350-1000ULR aircraft Qantas plans to use for the service. Airbus has said the first plane will not arrive until April 2027, pushing back the launch window for the route again.

Qantas had previously been targeting the first half of 2027 for the start of commercial Project Sunrise flights.

The airline now expects Sydney-London tickets to go on sale in February 2027. It has also said Sydney-New York is the next planned Project Sunrise route, with the launch date to be announced later in 2027.

Another reset for Project Sunrise

Project Sunrise has been years in the making. Qantas first unveiled the concept in 2017 as a plan for ultra-long-haul, non-stop flights from Australia’s east coast to major global cities.

Since then, the program has been delayed repeatedly, first by the pandemic and then by aircraft development and delivery issues. The Sydney-London route has remained the signature service in the plan.

The latest reset matters because it shifts not only the first flight date, but also the commercial rollout around it. Ticket sales, marketing and the airline’s premium long-haul strategy all now hinge on the revised timetable.

What Qantas says now

Qantas says the A350-1000ULR will be configured with 238 seats and is intended to fly about 22 hours non-stop. The aircraft is meant to underpin ultra-long-haul services from Australia’s east coast.

The Sydney-London launch timing is also important for travelers who have been watching the route’s development for years. The change pushes the start of one of the world’s longest non-stop commercial flights further into 2027.

Qantas has not yet set a launch date for Sydney-New York, only saying that it will follow after Sydney-London. The company has also not confirmed whether other east-coast cities remain part of the broader Project Sunrise plan.

What happens next

The next key milestone is the expected ticket-sales window in February 2027. Before that, investors and travelers will be looking for a formal Qantas release, any further detail on certification and delivery timing, and any response from Airbus.

Project Sunrise remains one of Qantas’s most closely watched international growth projects. For now, the airline’s flagship non-stop Sydney-London service is set to begin in October 2027, more than a decade after the concept was first announced.