24 Hours in the Air: The Airline That Broke the Record for the World's Longest Flight

Qantas's Airbus A350-1000ULR completed a test flight from Melbourne to Toulouse lasting 24 hours and 24 minutes, the greatest distance recorded for a commercial passenger flight. The flight was designed to test performance and systems ahead of the company's "Project Sunrise," which includes direct flights from Australia to London and New York starting in 2027.

The Airbus A350-1000ULR of Australian airline Qantas completed a test flight from Melbourne to Toulouse, France, lasting 24 hours and 24 minutes and covering about 23,000 km. This is one of the longest test flights ever recorded. The aircraft was developed specifically for Qantas's "Project Sunrise," under which the airline plans to operate direct flights from Australia to London and New York without stopovers. During the flight, test crews and engineers examined the aircraft's behavior over an extended period, as well as comfort conditions and the impact of the long flight on the human body. Qantas has ordered 12 aircraft of this model, and the first commercial service is expected to begin in 2027. Future commercial flights are expected to be shorter, around 20-22 hours.