14,388-mile nonstop: Airbus sets world record on 24-hour Australia–France flight

An Airbus A350-1000ULR spent 24 hours and 24 minutes in the air on a nonstop test flight from Australia to France, covering 14,388 miles (23,155 kilometers) to set a Guinness World Record for the longest flight by distance by a commercial airliner. The Airbus-operated jet took off from Melbourne at 5:27 p.m. local time on July 27 and landed in Toulouse at 9:51 a.m. local time the following day. The International Aeronautical Federation and Flightradar24 independently validated the aircraft data used to establish the record. Airbus flew the aircraft as part of its test campaign for Qantas’ Project Sunrise. The Australian carrier plans to use the ultra-long-range jet to fly nonstop from Sydney to London and New York, with flights lasting up to 22 hours. Flight across three continents The aircraft flew under the call sign AIB35LR. After leaving Melbourne, it passed over Sydney before turning northeast across the Pacific toward Los Angeles. It crossed the International Date Line en route, continued across North America and flew over the Atlantic. The aircraft then passed over London before landing in Toulouse. The route took the aircraft across three continents and two oceans. During the flight, the crew saw two sunsets and two sunrises. Thirteen people were aboard, including three Airbus flight test pilots, two Qantas pilots and five Airbus flight test engineers. Two Airbus design engineers and a representative of the International Aeronautical Federation were also on board. 23-hour test campaign The test campaign called for one flight with a block time of 23 hours to simulate the longest commercial operations the aircraft is expected to handle. Block time runs from pushback at departure to the placement of wheel chocks at arrival. The record flight covered 12,503 nautical miles. “Flying 12,503 nautical miles non-stop, we have fully proven the aircraft’s capability to fulfill its mission. And the world record was the icing on the cake,” said Lars Wagner, chief executive officer of commercial aircraft at Airbus. To give the jet the range it needs for Project Sunrise, Airbus integrated an extra fuel tank into the rear center of the aircraft. Airbus said the tank adds 1,000 nautical miles of range. Qantas’ planned nonstop routes will cover nearly 10,000 nautical miles. Sydney to London flights in pipeline Qantas has ordered 12 A350-1000ULRs for Project Sunrise. The first aircraft is scheduled for delivery in April 2027, with passenger service on the Sydney–London route expected to begin later that year. The airline also has 12 standard A350-1000s on order for its wider long-haul network. The ultra-long-range jet is the fourth passenger variant in the A350 family, alongside the A350-900, A350-900ULR and A350-1000. By the end of October 2026, Airbus had received 1,628 orders for the family from 70 customers. More than 740 A350s were already flying with 42 operators, primarily on long-haul routes. Airbus is also developing a freighter for the A350 family. The A350F made its first flight on September 29, beginning a nine-month flight test program. Get the latest in engineering, tech, space & science - delivered daily to your inbox.Atharva is a full-time content writer with a post-graduate degree in media & amp; entertainment and a graduate degree in electronics & telecommunications. He has written in the sports and technology domains respectively. In his leisure time, Atharva loves learning about digital marketing and watching soccer matches. His main goal behind joining Interesting Engineering is to learn more about how the recent technological advancements are helping human beings on both societal and individual levels in their daily lives.