Thanks to advancements in technology, long-haul flights are able to fly ever greater distances without having to stop to refuel, or for passengers to connect to a different flight.
And now Australian flag carrier Qantas Airways (QAN) is throwing down the gauntlet by announcing what will be the longest continuing flight in the world.
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Starting in 2025, Qantas Airways will have a nonstop route from Australia’s Sydney Airport to London’s Heathrow Airport as part of an initiative the airline has dubbed Project Sunrise. The flight will cover 10,576 miles and take 20 hours. You can basically watch every Star Wars film on this flight, if you don’t sleep and fast-forward through some of the boring parts of the prequels.
Or to put it another way, you will be able to see two sunrises on the flight, as the plane will be crossing time zones.
The flight will be on an Airbus (EADSF) A350-1000s, the biggest wide-body aircraft in the world. Though those models can hold between 350 and 410 passengers, the Project Sunrise flight will only have 238 seats, including six first-class suites, 52 business-class suites. There will be 40 premium economy seats in a two-four-two set-up and 140 economy seats in a three-three-three set-up.
As many international travelers have learned, 20 hours is a long flight, and your legs can really start to cramp if you don’t walk around a bit. Fortunately, passengers can use what’s termed a “Wellbeing Zone,” which allows for some movement and also has a self-service snack bar.
There’s still much to be determined about this flight, including the official launch date, prices and the exact nature of the in-flight service. At the moment, title of the world’s longest flight belongs to a route between Singapore’s Changi Airport and New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, which takes 18 hours and 40 minutes.
