An A350 jet being developed for record-setting commercial flights landed in France from Melbourne on Tuesday after Airbus completed a test flight lasting more than 24 hours, drawing heavy attention from online flight trackers.
The test marks a key step in Qantas' Project Sunrise, which aims to launch the world's longest commercial passenger services and reshape long-haul travel by eliminating stopovers between Australia and Europe.
The specially adapted A350-1000ULR airliner is due to debut with the Australian carrier's nonstop Sydney-London route from 2027. Airbus has been conducting a two-month test campaign on the aircraft since June.
Airbus said the aircraft, which boasts a specially designed extra fuel tank, remained in the air for 24 hours and 24 minutes, covering 23,075 kilometers (14,338 miles) without stopping, before landing at the plane's factory in Toulouse, France.
Flight-tracking provider Flightradar24 said the trip was the second-most-tracked flight ever on its channels, behind a 2024 flight carrying Queen Elizabeth II's coffin, with more than 3.6 million people following its progress northward via Canada.
