Qantas will launch the first non-stop passenger services between Sydney and London from October 2027, ending a stopover that has defined the Kangaroo Route since 1947, the carrier said on June 17.
The Australian flag carrier unveiled its first Airbus A350-1000ULR in Qantas livery at Airbus’ facility in Toulouse, the centrepiece of its Project Sunrise programme. The aircraft carries an additional 20,000-litre fuel tank that allows it to fly more than 16,000 km for up to 22 hours non-stop, cutting up to four hours off current one-stop journeys. Qantas will take 12 of the aircraft in total, each configured with 238 seats across four cabins.
The route will go on sale in February 2027 and operate alongside existing Perth-London and Sydney-Singapore-London services. A second A350-1000ULR is moving through an eight-week testing and certification programme after its first flight earlier in June.
“Since we first flew the Kangaroo Route in 1947, where we stopped seven times on the way to London, every generation of aircraft has taken a stop out of the journey. Today, we’re taking out the last one,” said Qantas Group chief executive Vanessa Hudson.
Qantas-commissioned research conducted in May found intent to book ultra long-haul non-stop flights had risen to 70% from 58% since February, reaching 80% among premium travellers. The carrier said more than 1.7mn passengers have flown its existing non-stop long-haul routes since 2018, with those services recording its highest customer satisfaction scores.
More than 360 pilots and 1,200 cabin crew will be trained to operate the fleet, with 40 A330 pilots already training on the A350. Project Sunrise will later connect Australia’s east coast with other destinations, with Sydney-New York confirmed as the next route to follow.
“This aircraft has been designed from the ground up for ultra long-haul travel, with a cabin built around science and combatting jetlag,” said Hudson.
Why it matters
For operators and DMCs, the headline is a genuine reshaping of Australia-UK and Australia-Europe itineraries. Removing the final stopover changes the calculus for premium leisure and corporate programming, where the four-hour saving and a jetlag-focused cabin are sellable propositions in their own right.
The February 2027 on-sale gives trade partners a long runway to build product around daily Sydney-London capacity, and the confirmed Sydney-New York follow-on signals where the next wave of point-to-point demand will open up. The strong premium booking intent is the number worth watching for anyone packaging high-value long-haul.