MELBOURNE, Australia — Australian carrier Qantas Airways is gearing up to introduce what will be the longest nonstop commercial flight on the planet, linking London and Sydney in a journey that could stretch up to 22 hours.
The Sydney-based airline revealed the first of its specially modified Airbus A350-1000 jets on Thursday. These aircraft are designed to regularly cover the 17,015-kilometer (10,573-mile) route beginning in October of next year. Depending on conditions, the trip between these two cities on opposite ends of the globe is expected to last anywhere from 19 to 22 hours.
Currently, the title of world’s longest regular nonstop route belongs to Singapore Airlines, which operates a flight between its home city-state and New York City — a distance of 15,349 kilometers (9,537 miles) completed in just under 19 hours. One major distinction, however, is that Singapore Airlines does not carry economy passengers on that particular route.
While a standard Airbus A350-1000 is capable of seating up to 480 travelers, Qantas has configured its customized A350-1000ULR to carry only 238 passengers. Of those, 140 seats will be in economy class for the London-Sydney service.
For now, the longest nonstop journey available to economy passengers worldwide is also operated by Qantas — between London and Perth on Australia’s western coast. That route covers 14,499 kilometers (9,009 miles) and takes between 16 and 18 hours. Sydney, by contrast, sits on Australia’s eastern coast.
Sharon Petersen, chief executive officer of AirlineRatings — an Australia-based website that evaluates airlines on their products and safety records — noted that economy seats on the London-Sydney route will offer more legroom than what most long-haul carriers provide. Economy travelers will also have access to a dedicated “Wellbeing Zone” positioned between the economy and premium economy sections, where passengers can stand, stretch, and grab drinks and snacks.
Qantas has acknowledged that tickets for the nonstop service, which go on sale in February, will cost more than fares for flights that stop in Singapore. The airline says the direct route will cut as much as four hours from total travel time.
Petersen said flying business class on the nonstop service is an appealing choice for travelers who might be able to sleep for eight hours straight without the disruption of stopping in Singapore. However, she personally would rather break up the trip than endure a 22-hour economy flight.
“The reason for that is 22 hours is really daunting. If you get sat next to someone who’s smelly, is perhaps really unwell and coughing, perhaps there’s a baby sitting next to you that’s having an uncomfortable flight or an oversized passenger who really needs two seats,” Petersen said.
She considers two shorter flights a safer bet for economy travelers. “If you’ve got it wrong on one flight, you might be okay on the next. You get a break,” she added.
Petersen explained that the aircraft’s reduced passenger count serves two purposes: improving overall comfort and making room for an extra fuel tank holding 20,000 liters (5,283 gallons). She also pointed out that ultra-long flights depend heavily on premium cabin bookings to turn a profit, since the weight constraints of such a journey leave little room for cargo revenue.
“Because the flight is so long, they can’t rely on cargo because of the weight. So it really is a passenger-heavy aircraft and a premium passenger-heavy aircraft at that to get the profit margin,” Petersen said.
After the Sydney-London route is up and running, Qantas says its next ultra-long-haul nonstop service will connect Sydney with New York City — a somewhat shorter distance of 16,013 kilometers (9,950 miles).
