When the first uninterrupted passenger flights between London and Sydney began in early 2027, the plane was able to fly over the North Pole.
The most direct route on the 10,573-mile link, known as ‘Project Sunrise’, is about Russia. The ‘big circle’ journey indicates about four hours of flying time in the Russian airspace between the Lets and the Kazaks borders.
The airspace above the largest country in the world is currently closed for ‘Western’ aircraft, including British Airways, Singapore Airlines and Qantas.
But Vanessa Hudson, CEO of the Australian Airways, said The independent That it is unable to fly over Russia would not be a problem on the flights.
“Geopolitics is part of any operational consideration, but these aircraft do not have to fly over Russia to make the distance,” she said.
‘The unique thing with this flight is that the fastest way to get from Sydney to London to London will be over Japan and across the North Pole and the other side because of the wind direction.
‘Our pilots do a lot of flight planning for that flight. They have more than 12 months of wind data and do many flight planning simulations.
“Don’t just assume you have to fly west [from Sydney to London] All the time – there will be other routes we can take. “
Ms Hudson, who took over as CEO of Qantas from Alan Joyce 18 months ago, said the first Ultra-Long-Haul Airbus A350 will ‘enter the production cycle in September this year’.
The specially designed aircraft must be delivery at the end of 2026 and must ’employ’ very early 2027 ‘,’ said Ms Hudson. Initially, it will connect Sydney Nonstop with London Heathrow or New York JFK. No decision has yet been made about which city, but London has always been the flagship route for Qantas.
New York is less than 10,000 miles from Sydney, with the FlightPath mainly over the Pacific; The direct lane cuts a corner of Mexico, but is then completely over the US.
Qantas CEO said research is on how to minimize the effects of a flight that lasts until 19 hours.
“Project Sunrise is a four-kabin aircraft, so it is first class, business class, premium economy and economy. It gives us the ability to redefine the next cabin experience for everyone.
‘We have the University of Charles Perkins who works with us, see how to manage Jet Laughter, how to eat, when to sleep, when to move.
“We’re going to build it up in an integral part of the experience in flight.”
Ms Hudson predicted that passengers would pay a 20 percent premium on London-Sydney tickets for the privilege of taking out the fuel stop.
A ticket for a return on Qantas flights QF2 and QF1 from London via Singapore to Sydney leaving tomorrow costs £ 1,463. A 20 percent increase would take up to £ 1,755 – over £ 300 more.
“There are absolutely customers who say,” I appreciate getting there in one stop, I value to point, I appreciate the premium experience, and I am willing to pay for it. ‘
Two Qantas flights to Heathrow Friday morning left for Paris CDG when the busiest airport in the UK closed for the day. Ms Hudson revealed that passengers coming from Sydney and Perth were placed on coaches to complete the trip to London.
Listen to Simon Calder’s Daily Travel Podcast with Vanessa Hudson, CEO of Qantas
