The aircraft will be powered by the Rolls Royce Trent XWB engine, and will require an additional fuel tank along with a slightly increased maximum takeoff weight to fly the Sunrise routes. While no orders for the A350-1000 have been placed yet, Qantas is in discussion with Airbus regarding modifications to the airframe that would need to occur to make Project Sunrise a reality. Qantas is offering a pay increase to prospective Project Sunrise pilots, but needs to close the business case on the routes before committing to a contract for the A350-1000.Īt the regulatory level, Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) has “provisionally advised that it sees no regulatory obstacles to the Sunrise flights.” In those conditions, it seems highly unlikely that the B777-8, expected to come out of production two years after its “big brother”, would have been ready for the beginning of the flights in 2023.On November 15th, Qantas pilots completed a non-stop Project Sunrise research flight from London to Sydney in 19 hours and 19 minutes.

The development has been plagued with technical issues affecting both the aircraft and its engine, the GE9x. Originally planned to begin during the summer of 2019, the flight test campaign of the B777-9 has not started yet. There is no doubt that the uncertainties surrounding the Boeing 777X program have weighed in Qantas’ decision. He also praised the “high reliability” of the Rolls-Royce Trent XWB powering the aircraft. “The A350 is a fantastic aircraft and the agreement on the table with Airbus offers us the best possible combination of commercial conditions, energy efficiency, operating costs and customer experience,” said Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce in a press release. A “detailed evaluation of the Boeing 777X and Airbus A350” was made to pick the aircraft which could participate in the Project Sunrise.

The Australian carrier announced its preference for Airbus on December 13, 2019, at the expense of Boeing which had offered the 777-8. The Airbus A350-1000 was selected as the “preferred aircraft” for the airline’s upcoming 20-hour flights. Qantas picked its favorite: Airbus could be the manufacturer to break the record for the longest commercial connection in the world.

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