An 18-hour direct flight service from Sydney to New York by Qantas Airways

Qantas, an Australian airline, plans to launch an 18-hour direct flight service from Sydney to New York in mid-2028. This second ultra-long-haul route, introduced under the ‘Project Sunrise’ initiative, will save passengers approximately three hours of travel time.

This will be the first commercial direct flight operating from Sydney's Kingsford-Smith Airport to New York's John F. Kennedy (JFK) Airport. The first phase of this project, a direct flight from Sydney to London, is scheduled to commence next October after several delays. Currently, Qantas operates flights from Sydney to New York via Los Angeles, which takes approximately 21 hours and costs over £1,000 per trip. Although ticket prices for the new project have not yet been officially announced, the airline has hinted that they could be about 20% higher than standard airfares.

 Tickets for the Sydney to New York flight are expected to go on sale in August 2027. The London-Sydney flight, originally planned to start in 2022, was postponed due to the global pandemic and production delays. For these long-haul flights, Qantas has ordered 12 Airbus A350-1000ULR aircraft with additional fuel tanks, which are capable of flying over 10,000 miles and up to 22 hours non-stop on a single trip.

The first aircraft is expected to arrive in Australia next April. Last July, a 24-hour test flight from Melbourne to the Airbus factory in Toulouse, France, was successfully completed, which is considered the longest commercial flight ever undertaken in history. A dedicated 'well-being zone' has been introduced in these aircraft for passengers to relax, located between the economy and premium economy cabins. Passengers will be able to do stretching exercises, watch exercise videos, and access snacks and beverages. Each aircraft will have a total of 238 seats, including 140 standard economy seats, 6 first-class suites, 52 business-class suites, and 40 premium economy seats.

Qantas expects its revenue to increase by £215 million over the next five years due to 'Project Sunrise' and the rising demand for premium air travel, with profit margins projected to grow from 4% to 10%. Coinciding with world leaders gathering in New York for the United Nations General Assembly session, Qantas CEO Vanessa Hudson officially announced the launch date of this direct flight service at an event in New York. She stated that flying non-stop to New York fulfills a goal set many years ago and will change the travel patterns of Australians. The company is already providing training to its engineers and pilots on the new aircraft through A350 simulators.