This archive report was first published on 23 October 2019.
On a historic journey, Qantas Airways successfully completed the world's longest commercial flight from New York to Sydney on a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, covering a total distance of 16,200km (10,066 miles) in 19 hours and 16 minutes on October 23, 2019.
The test flight was part of Qatar's Project Sunrise, aiming to operate regular, non-stop commercial flights from Australia's east coast cities to London and New York. The flight was also designed to experiment with the effects of ultra-long-haul travel on passengers and crew.
With only 40 passengers and 10 crew on board, the flight had restricted baggage, no cargo, and maximum fuel to minimize weight and ensure the necessary fuel range. A team of researchers monitored lighting and activity, sleep patterns, and consumption levels of passengers, as well as crew melatonin levels and brain patterns of pilots during the flight.
According to Qantas CEO Alan Joyce, the company intends to run regular flights from Australia's east coast to New York and London, with a decision on the viability of the services to be made at the end of the year after two more test flights.
Qantas hopes to offer the Project Sunrise flights to the public in 2023. The airline, which is the flag carrier of Australia and the largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations, is the third oldest airline in the world, after KLM and Avianca.
