Qantas plans to enable passengers to fly between Sydney and New York in just 18 hours from mid-2028, making the route the second ultra-long-haul flight under the Project Sunrise programme, the company announced. This cuts at least three hours off the journey compared to existing options.
This will be the first commercial direct flight from Kingsford-Smith airport to New York's JFK. Qantas currently offers flights from Sydney to New York with a stop in Los Angeles, which take 21 hours, with return tickets usually costing more than $1,400 one-way or more than $1,900 return. The company has not released prices for Project Sunrise routes, but had previously suggested that direct tickets could be around 20 per cent more expensive than those with a stop, noting that ticket prices are subject to upward pressure.
Tickets for the Sydney–New York route should go on sale in August 2027, though Qantas did not specify in which month flights begin. The new direct Sydney–London line is planned for October 2027 following certain delays, and upon announcing that date the company said it would publish the flight start schedule during 2027. In the future, Qantas plans to introduce more direct flights from Perth lasting up to 20 hours, having abandoned earlier announcements about routes from Brisbane or Melbourne.
For these routes, the company has ordered 12 Airbus A350–1000ULR aircraft, equipped with additional fuel tanks, which can fly more than 16,000 kilometres and for up to 22 hours without stopping. The first such aircraft is due to arrive in Australia in April 2027. The models are specifically designed for flights of up to 22 hours without interruption to operate some of the longest commercial flights in the world, and a prototype flew from Melbourne to Airbus's plant in Toulouse, France, in July, lasting 24 hours and 24 minutes, considered the longest commercial flight to date.
In each aircraft, a special "wellness zone" will be provided between the economy and premium economy cabins where passengers can stretch out, watch videos with guided exercises, and serve themselves snacks and drinks. Of the 238 seats in the A350–1000ULR, only 140 are standard economy, while the aircraft contains six first-class suites, 52 business suites and 40 premium economy seats.
The company expects Project Sunrise flights and sustained demand for premium flights to increase its earnings by $400 million over the next five years, with profit margins rising from the current 4 per cent to 10 per cent. Qantas states that demand for its flights to and from New York has doubled since 2023, while short-term arrivals from the US to Australia in the year to July 2026 rose 4 per cent compared to the previous year, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Over the same period, the number of Australians travelling to and returning from the US fell by 9 per cent.
Qantas chief executive Vanessa Hudson said these flights could change the way Australians travel. "Arriving in New York without a stop fulfils the vision we set out many years ago and is a moment of huge pride for thousands of our people who have worked hard to make Project Sunrise a reality," Hudson said. The company is training pilots on the A350 simulator and teaching engineers about the new aircraft, noting that more than 360 pilots and 1,200 cabin crew members will be trained to operate the aircraft by the time the entire fleet arrives.
