Qantas will launch direct flights between Sydney and New York from mid-2028, the first non-stop commercial service between Australia and the Big Apple.
Tickets for the inaugural service are set to go on sale from August 2027 as part of Project Sunrise.
The ground-breaking flights will cut more than three hours off the total travel time compared with current one-stop services today.
New York is the second Project Sunrise route to be confirmed, following the Sydney to London non-stop flights that are scheduled to begin in October 2027.
“Conquering the tyranny of distance has been part of who Qantas is from the very beginning,” said Vanessa Hudson, Qantas CEO.
“Reaching New York non-stop completes a vision we set out many years ago and it’s a moment of enormous pride for the thousands of our people who have been working hard to make Project Sunrise a reality.”
Qantas first flew to New York in 1958 as part of its inaugural round-the-world service, reaching the biggest city in the U.S. from Sydney via Fiji, Honolulu and San Francisco.
Today the airline operates a daily one-stop service between Sydney and New York via Auckland.
The Project Sunrise flights will be operated by specially configured Airbus A350-1000ULR aircraft, fitted with an additional 20,000-litre fuel tank that enables the aircraft to fly more than 16,000 kilometres and up to 22 hours non-stop.
Qantas will take delivery of 12 aircraft in total, each configured with 238 seats across four cabins. The first aircraft is expected to be delivered in April next year.
Non-stop services between Sydney and New York will significantly expand travel options for customers travelling between Australia and the United States.
“New York has always captured the imagination and for generations reaching it from Australia has meant breaking up the journey somewhere along the way,” added Ms Hudson.
“From 2028, our customers will be able to board in Sydney and arrive in New York around 18 hours later without stopping once, cutting around three hours off the current fastest travel time. That changes what’s possible for travel between our two countries.”
In preparation for the aircraft’s arrival, Qantas pilots have commenced training on Australia’s first A350 simulator in Sydney. More than 360 Qantas pilots and 1,200 cabin crew will be trained to operate Qantas’ fleet of Project Sunrise aircraft by the time the 12th A350-1000ULR arrives.
The first test aircraft is currently in the final stages of its flight test program and recently completed a record-breaking non-stop 24 hour and 24 minute flight from Melbourne to Toulouse, a first for any commercial airliner in the world.
