An Airbus A350-1000ULR built for Qantas has set a Guinness World Record after flying more than 24 hours non-stop, covering the longest distance recorded by a commercial airliner.
Airbus said on Monday, November 9, that the aircraft travelled 12,503 nautical miles – approximately 14,388 miles or 23,155 kilometres – between Melbourne, Australia, and Toulouse, France.
The test flight took 24 hours and 24 minutes. It left Melbourne at 5:27 pm local time on July 27 and arrived in southern France at 9:51 am the following day.
The aircraft did not follow the shortest possible route. Instead, its flight path was extended across three continents to put the ultra-long-range aircraft through the most demanding endurance test possible.
After leaving Australia, it headed north-east over the Pacific Ocean towards Los Angeles. It then crossed North America and the Atlantic Ocean before passing over London on its way to Toulouse.
The 13 people on board experienced two sunsets and two sunrises during the journey.
The group included three Airbus test pilots, two Qantas pilots, seven Airbus engineers and an observer from the International Aeronautical Federation (FAI). The FAI validated the flight data with Flightradar24 for Guinness World Records.
Lars Wagner, Airbus’s Chief Executive Officer for Commercial Aircraft, said the flight demonstrated that the modified aircraft was capable of operating the longest commercial routes.
“Flying 12,503 nautical miles non-stop, we have fully proven the aircraft’s capability to fulfil its mission.”
He added: “And the world record was the icing on the cake!”
The previous record was held by a Boeing 777-200LR, which flew 11,664 nautical miles (21,601 kilometres) between Hong Kong and London in November 2005, 21 years earlier.
The aircraft used for the record attempt has been adapted for long-range operations. It features an additional 20,900-litre rear centre fuel tank and Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 engines, giving it roughly 1,000 nautical miles more range than a standard A350-1000.
Qantas has ordered 12 of the aircraft as part of its “Project Sunrise” programme. The airline plans to begin non-stop passenger services of up to 22 hours between Sydney and London in October 2027, followed by flights from Sydney to New York in 2028.
To make such lengthy journeys more comfortable, each aircraft will have 238 seats – fewer than a standard configuration – and a dedicated cabin “wellbeing zone”. The area will allow passengers to stretch and hydrate during the near full day spent in the air.
