While many airlines have announced significant cuts to summer-season flights, driven by the fuel shortage tied to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the civil aviation world is bracing for yet another duration record to fall. In a few months, in the first half of 2027, the longest non-stop flight in history will take off, connecting Sydney to London in just 22 hours.

Eight years have passed since Qantas, Australia’s flag carrier, first announced its ambitious plan to link the country with the United Kingdom in a single hop. Now, after a second postponement in 2025 caused by technical issues and pandemic-related delays, take-off really does seem just around the corner.

The world’s longest non-stop flights

The Qantas flight will shatter every duration record. The current longest non-stop is Singapore Airlines’ Singapore – New York route, covering roughly 15,300 kilometers (about 9,500 miles) in 18 hours and 30 minutes, followed by Qantas’s Perth – London (17 hours 30 minutes), the Perth – Paris (17 hours), and the Melbourne – Dallas (16 hours).

The Sydney to London Heathrow leg will leave them all behind, with its 22 hours and a distance of more than 17,000 kilometers (about 10,600 miles). It’s no accident that the airline has nicknamed it «Project Sunrise»: the route will offer the unusual experience of watching two sunrises in a single day.

What the Sydney–London flight will look like

As you can imagine, spending more than 20 hours inside a plane is an experience that risks putting passengers’ minds and bodies through the wringer.

For that reason, Qantas has been working to make the journey as comfortable as possible. It has announced 12 brand-new Airbus A350-1000ULR (Ultra Long Range) aircraft for the route, a capacity cut from 300 to 238 seats to free up legroom, and small wellness zones installed between economy and premium classes. In those areas passengers will be able to stretch, do light exercises, or simply enjoy a snack or a drink.

First-class passengers will have a reclining chair, a bed, sliding doors, a private wardrobe to store clothes and personal items, and a 32-inch HD screen. On top of that, they’ll get a tablet to adjust the seat’s ambient lighting, temperature, and even humidity.

The first of the 12 new Airbus aircraft that will be part of Project Sunrise left France on April 12 for a test flight, to be followed by two months of intensive testing to see how the A350-1000 performs over the longest distances. What is certain is that the new additional 20,000-liter (about 5,300-gallon) center fuel tank in the rear and the upgraded fuel-management systems will make 22 uninterrupted hours of travel possible, with no stop of any kind.

Editor’s note

This article was originally published in Italian on money.it by Andrea Fabbri on May 17, 2026 as «Dura 22 ore. Ecco il volo senza scalo più lungo del mondo». It has been translated and adapted for an international audience by the Money.it International desk.