New plane breaks record with 24-hour nonstop flight from Australia to France

A new long-range airliner set a new record for the longest flight by a commercial aircraft when it finally touched down in France Tuesday morning after flying for more than 24 hours straight from Australia, Qantas Airways announced.

The Airbus A350-1000ULR flight test aircraft flew for 24 hours and 24 minutes, covering 12,460 nautical miles and surpassing the previous record held by a Boeing 777-200LR since 2005.

Built for the carrier’s Project Sunrise, the Airbus is designed to fly passengers nonstop from the east coast of Australia to London and New York — a “world first,” according to the company. It’s believed to be the world’s longest nonstop commercial flight.

Per public flight records, the aircraft departed from Melbourne at 5:30 p.m. on Monday and passed directly over Los Angeles and Las Vegas on Monday afternoon after crossing the international date line. It then flew over Canada and the North Atlantic and arrived in Toulouse, France, where the A350-1000 was built, just after 6 a.m. local time on Tuesday.

Footage released from the company shows the unpainted plane landing after flying over three continents and two oceans over the course of 24 hours. During the flight, it passed through two sunrises and sunsets, a July 28 post on X said.

“To manage fatigue during the 20 to 23-hour flights we implemented four-hour shifts for each pilot, but we rotated the crew every two hours,” said Airbus test pilot Xavier Pepin, who captained the flight. “This staggered approach ensures that when a new pilot joins the cockpit, they overlap for two hours with the outgoing pilot.”

Measuring about 242 feet long and capable of holding 238 passengers, the aircraft offers a designated “Wellbeing Zone” where travelers can stretch out, as well as cabins with memory foam beds and reclining armchairs.

Airbus says the airliner has an extra rear center fuel tank that carries 5,521 gallons, extending the aircraft range by 1,000 nautical miles. A nonstop flight from Sydney and New York or London travels nearly 10,000 nautical miles.

Per Qantas, the planes will offer six first-class cabins, 52 business suites, 40 premium economy suites and 140 economy suites. Daily nonstop flights between Sydney and London are slated to begin in October 2027, with tickets going on sale in February of that year.

Hearst Television’s Livia Daggett contributed reporting to this story from the Hearst-owned SF Gate.