The verified sequence
Project Sunrise dates at a glance
- Programme announced
- 2017
- Aircraft ordered
- 12 A350-1000ULR aircraft
- First test flight
- 2 June 2026
- Tickets planned to go on sale
- February 2027
- First Qantas delivery planned
- April 2027
- First passenger route
- Sydney to London
- Service planned
- Daily from October 2027
- Sydney to New York
- Planned second, with no launch date published
These are separate milestones in the current Airbus and Qantas plan. Certification and regulatory approvals can still affect the schedule.
The project is a route and aircraft programme
Project Sunrise began in 2017 as Qantas's challenge to connect eastern Australia directly with London and New York. Airbus answered with a special ultra-long-range version of the A350-1000.
Qantas has ordered 12 A350-1000ULR aircraft for the programme. The name recalls historic Qantas flights on which travellers saw two sunrises during a very long journey, but the modern plan is scheduled passenger service rather than a commemorative test.
The first flight was a certification milestone
The first production A350-1000ULR, known as MSN707, flew on 2 June 2026. That flight began a certification campaign rather than carrying paying passengers between Australia and Europe.
Airbus planned roughly two months and about 80 flight hours of testing. Engineers are checking the additional fuel system, structural changes, cabin temperature control and other systems before the variant can enter service.
Delivery and passenger service are separate dates
Airbus says a second aircraft will be the first delivered to Qantas, with delivery planned for April 2027. MSN707 is being used as the test aircraft and will be refitted into commercial configuration after the campaign.
Qantas's current fact sheet places the first non-stop Sydney to London service in October 2027. Aircraft arrival must come earlier so the airline can complete preparation, training, proving and regulatory work.
Ticket sales are a third milestone
Qantas currently plans to put Project Sunrise tickets on sale in February 2027. That date comes before the planned April aircraft delivery and does not mean passengers will fly immediately.
For a traveller, the useful sequence is ticket sales, aircraft delivery and then service commencement. A fare appearing in the booking system would confirm that sales have opened, while the operating timetable would provide the flight numbers, departure times and exact first travel date.
London comes before New York in the published sequence
Qantas identifies Sydney to London as the first Project Sunrise route. Sydney to New York is described as the second connection, without a passenger launch date in the current fact sheet.
That distinction matters when reading headlines that bundle both cities together. The aircraft is designed for both missions, but the published launch commitment is specifically for Sydney to London from October 2027.
Daily service does not yet reveal the full timetable
Qantas describes Sydney to London as a daily service from October 2027. The current programme page does not yet publish the final flight numbers, departure times, launch fares or the exact day in October when the first passenger flight will leave.
Those details matter because a daily route can still operate at different local times across seasons. Travellers should use the eventual Qantas booking timetable rather than converting a preliminary route announcement into a fixed departure schedule.
Another A350 order should not be confused with Project Sunrise
Airbus says Qantas has ordered 12 A350-1000ULR aircraft for Project Sunrise and another 12 standard A350-1000 aircraft for its future long-haul network. The two groups have different mission descriptions.
Counting both orders as 24 Project Sunrise aircraft would therefore overstate the dedicated ULR fleet. The special programme discussed here is the 12-aircraft order with the additional range systems and 238-seat cabin.
What could still change
Qantas states that delivery, sales and service commencement remain subject to aircraft certification and regulatory approvals. Flight paths are also examples and can change with operational conditions.
The safest timeline is therefore: certification testing in 2026, planned first delivery in April 2027 and planned Sydney to London passenger service in October 2027. Treat those as current official plans, not guarantees beyond the stated conditions.
How to recognise the next confirmed step
The next useful evidence will be an Airbus certification update, tickets appearing through Qantas, physical delivery of the first aircraft named Vega and a published operating timetable. Each would confirm a different part of the sequence.
A new test photograph or assembly update may show progress, but it does not by itself prove certification, handover or passenger service. Keeping those milestones separate makes the timeline easier to update without turning every factory event into a launch announcement.
Sources and further reading
This article was written for Curiosity Desk. We do not copy other publishers or invent quotes. If a material error is found, we correct it openly.
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