Qantas Sets 2027 Launch For 22 Hour Sydney London Flights

Qantas has confirmed it will launch its first “Project Sunrise” nonstop flights between Sydney and London in late 2027, putting a firm start date on a long-planned ultra-long-haul service expected to take about 22 hours.

The airline said the Sydney-to-London route will be the first Project Sunrise service to enter operation. Qantas has positioned the flights as a major expansion of its long-distance network, aimed at linking Australia’s biggest city directly with the United Kingdom without a stopover.

The initial route will operate from Sydney Airport to London, with Qantas describing the service as a nonstop option designed for end-to-end travel between the two major hubs. Multiple reports tied to the announcement have cited October 2027 as the target launch timeframe, and Qantas has characterized the start as coming in “late 2027.”

Project Sunrise has been closely watched across the global aviation industry because a regularly scheduled Sydney–London nonstop would rank among the longest flights in the world. A 22-hour sector also poses significant operational demands, from flight planning and crew management to onboard service and customer comfort across nearly a full day in the air.

For travelers, the confirmation signals a future shift in how Australia-UK trips can be booked and flown. Today, many itineraries between Sydney and London include a stop in Asia, the Middle East, or elsewhere, adding connection time and complexity. A nonstop service would remove that intermediate leg, changing scheduling options for both leisure and business passengers.

For Qantas, the route represents a headline expansion at a time when airlines are competing for premium long-haul demand and looking to differentiate their international networks. The carrier has marketed Project Sunrise as a defining program for its next phase of long-range flying.

The announcement also clarifies the rollout order for Project Sunrise by naming the first route explicitly. While Qantas has discussed the concept and potential city pairs over several years, the Sydney–London confirmation provides a concrete starting point that allows travel planners, corporate buyers, and customers to begin factoring the new nonstop into longer-term scheduling.

Next steps will include Qantas moving from launch-date confirmation to the practical details travelers will need: planned frequency, flight numbers, timetables, aircraft assignment, and when tickets will go on sale. The airline will also need to finalize operational planning for the 22-hour mission, including staffing and service standards, ahead of the first departures.

More information is expected as Qantas approaches the 2027 start window and begins publishing schedules and opening bookings. Until then, the airline’s late-2027 target sets a clear countdown for a route intended to redraw one of the world’s most-traveled long-haul corridors.

With the first Project Sunrise route now set for late 2027, Qantas has put a date on a nonstop Sydney–London flight that would mark a new milestone in commercial aviation endurance.