Qantas to fly A350s to New Zealand

Qantas is getting closer to the launch of ambitious non-stop flights which will connect Australia to the farthest corners of the globe from mid-2027.

They’ll be powered by a fleet of ultra-long range ‘Project Sunrise’ Airbus A350-1000 jets capable of making those marathon journeys of 18-22 hours to the likes of London and New York.

But before those globe-striding flights begin, Qantas has confirmed it will send the A350 from Sydney to New Zealand.

Qantas Group CEO Vanessa Hudson says these trans-Tasman flights will help train pilots and cabin crew on the new jets.

The first Qantas A350s will take wing in early 2027.

The first Project Sunrise A350-1000 will arrive “at the end of next year, 2026,” Hudson told Executive Traveller on the sidelines of an Airbus briefing in Hamburg, Germany.

“You need about three aircraft to provide a daily service on a route like Sydney-London or Sydney-New York, so that’ll actually start in the first half of 2027 when we have those three aircraft.”

So what to do in the meantime, with just one aircraft - the very first A350-1000?

“We’ll be doing lots of training with our pilots and our cabin crew,” Hudson shared.

“So to do that, we will have that first aircraft probably flying on the Tasman to New Zealand, where it gives us a little bit of time to stretch its legs, but not too far.”

Qantas' A350 first class.

These special Qantas A350 flights will also carry passengers on short three-hour hops like Sydney-Auckland.

The aircraft will boast six roomy private first class suites and 52 all-new business class suites with sliding privacy doors.

Qantas' A350 business class.

There’ll also be 40 third-generation premium economy seats and 140 comfortable economy recliners with extra legroom and lower back support.

And there’s no doubt they’ll be sell-out affairs, with frequent flyers and enthusiasts keen to ample the new first class and business class suites on a quick jaunt across the pond. 

David Flynn travelled to Hamburg as a guest of Qantas and Airbus