“No airline has done this kind of dedicated research before and we’ll be using the results to help shape the cabin design, inflight service and crew roster patterns for Project Sunrise.

Joyce said: “Flying non-stop from the East Coast of Australia to London and New York is truly the final frontier in aviation, so we’re determined to do all the groundwork to get this right. Passengers in the cabin – mostly Qantas employees – will be fitted with wearable technology devices and take part in specific experiences at varying stages of the approximately 19 hour flights. The on-board research is being designed in partnership with Sydney University’s Charles Perkins Centre and Monash University in conjunction with CRC for Alertness, Safety and Productivity.

This is ultimately a business decision and the economics have to stack up.” “There’s plenty of enthusiasm for Sunrise, but it’s not a foregone conclusion. And we’re working with regulators to allow flights beyond 20 hours,” he added. “We have a high-level design of what our cabins would look like. Joyce said Boeing and Airbus have aircraft “that can do the job” ( A350 and 777X) and the manufacturers’ best-and-final offers were “on the table”, including a “compelling offer” from Boeing to deal with any delay to the 777X. Qantas said carbon emissions from the flights would be fully offset. This will represent the world’s first flight by a commercial airline direct from New York to Sydney and only the second time a commercial airline has flown direct from London to Sydney.Įach flight will have a maximum of 40 people, including crew, in order to minimise weight and give the necessary fuel range.

Instead of flying empty from Seattle to Australia, the aircraft will simulate two Project Sunrise routes – London and New York to Sydney. The three flights over three months will use new Boeing 787-9s and re-route their planned delivery flights. The airline has announced plans to conduct three ultra long-haul research flights to gather new data about inflight passenger and crew health and wellbeing. Australia’s flag carrier Qantas will make a decision whether to push ahead with Project Sunrise plans to open routes the east coast of Australia to London and New York before the end of the year, according to chief executive Alan Joyce.

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