Australia has never felt closer! In a major milestone for the aviation industry, Qantas has announced its Project Sunrise A350 mission, operating the world’s longest direct flight from London Heathrow to Sydney from 2025.

Qantas has ordered a brand new fleet of 12 Airbus A350-1000s, which will operate from both London and New York to Sydney, taking approximately 20 hours and flying about 11,000 miles.

The longest flights I have previously done are from Malaysia and Japan to London, both of which took about 14 hours. Although I have never been able to sleep on a plane and have crazy jet lag when I land, Qantas’ 20-hour flight is a game changer. Here’s why I am up for it and why you should consider it too…

Arrive faster and less hassle

Here’s the funny part – take-off from LHR on Monday 6pm and arrive at SYD on Wednesday 1am – that sounds wild! Plus the added time of arriving at the airport three hours early and going through immigration controls on arrival. It would definitely take me a few days to recover from the mad jet lag. But there are pros…

There is a long-standing debate between seasoned travellers on whether to get the whole journey over with in one go, or divvy up a long-haul flight into two segments.

The main benefit is that the direct flight option is the fastest way to get from London to Australia.

The flagship London-Singapore-Sydney route includes a 90-minute stopover in Changi Airport. Although this would give you time to stretch your legs and get some fresh air, stopovers in the Middle East or Asia would involve waiting for the connecting flight, when you could have stayed in the air, perhaps watched another TV show. There is also the added hassle, as with any stopover, of more immigration checks and the risk of missing the connection if your first flight was delayed.

I had a bad experience of stopovers when travelling to Singapore – I flew from London Heathrow to Kuala Lumpur, and missed my connection to Singapore due my first flight being delayed. I was then rebooked onto a different flight, but this just made the jet lag feel a whole lot worse. Missing my connection also led to my bags being put on the wrong plane and the inconvenience of tracking them down throughout my trip. This just goes to show why the direct London-Sydney flight appeals to me.

Qantas launched direct London-Perth flights in 2017 with a flight time of approximately 17 hours, which have been in strong demand given the overall convenience and time savings offered by ultra long-haul flights.

Comfort

The new A350-1000s will feature 238 seats, the lowest number of its kind in service. This means all cabins will be designed with more space and maximum comfort, with 33″ legroom in economy, compared to 31-32″ on the Airbus A380 and Boeing 787.

First class will feature fully private suites, with an individual bed, armchair, personal wardrobe and a 32″ HD TV.

Each Project Sunrise plane will also include a ‘wellbeing zone’ in the middle of the plane, for all passengers to access. These will include a self-service complimentary snack bar, video screens with recommended exercises to help increase blood flow, and spaces for stretching and movement, all in an effort to combat the effects of spending 20 hours in the sky.

Greater fuel efficiency

The A350-1000s are fuel efficient, emitting 25% less CO2 emissions per seat compared to its predecessors. Stopovers are likely to emit more CO2, given the two take-offs and two-landings for both legs of the journey.

In addition, as part of Qantas’ 2050 net zero commitment, it has announced all net emissions from Project Sunrise flights will be carbon offset.

Views for days (will literally feel like days!)

Flying through 10 time zones and across the world over northern Europe, China, the Philippines, Indonesia and the Indian Ocean territories, and the rare spectacle of witnessing two sunrises – this will definitely be a welcome treat during the flight, with spectacular views guaranteed!

Connectivity

The aircrafts will all have WiFi onboard for the duration of the flight, ensuring you are able to keep-in-touch with your loved ones, do some work and be up-to-date with all the latest news.

Tick it off the bucket list

For me, journeys are as important as the destinations themselves, and doing this London-Sydney ultra-long haul flight will be a major tick off the bucket list! Not only that, I will also be able to say I’ve flown on the world’s longest passenger flight!