The long-legged Airbus A350s would depart from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane and fly non-stop to New York, London, Paris, Cape Town and Rio de Janeiro. Be in the know. Despite current problems, he is bullish about the future of both Qantas and flying in general. The discussions are aimed at closing the last remaining gap in the Project Sunrise business case. “The aircraft and engine combination is next generation technology but it’s thoroughly proven after more than two years in service. Stay informed: Sign up for our daily aviation news digest. The Project Sunrise jets will also come with superfast WiFi capable of streaming HD video, using the same high-speed satellite technology as Qantas' domestic fleet.. Qantas is due to choose between ultra-long range models of the Airbus A350 and Boeing 777X for the Sunrise fleet by year’s end, with plans to launch the first flights in 2022. But such was the hype surrounding Project Sunrise, both Airbus and Boeing went away like chastened kids and resubmitted their bids just a month later. Design of the customer experience for flights up to 21 hours continues, including new cabins across First Class, Business, Premium Economy and Economy. Project Sunrise may refer to: . This is the second of three Project Sunrise research flights, … We’ll only commit to this investment if we know it will generate the right return for our shareholders given the inherent commercial risks. Recently departed Qantas International CEO, Tino La Spina said there is a “gap” between what the airline wants to pay and what the airline manufacturers expect the airline to pay. Typically, people asked what aircraft would Qantas use, and where would they fly? Qantas' (QF/QFA) ambitious plan, Project Sunrise has yet again been expanded to include a new destination, Frankfurt, Germany. This aircraft uses the Rolls Royce Trent XWB engine, which has a strong reliability record after being in service with airlines for more than two years. Working closely with airlines including Qantas and Virgin Australia, Andrew’s first-hand knowledge of the challenges and opportunities facing Australian airlines adds exciting depth and color to his work and sees him providing commentary to ABC News and more. Critics have tried to dismiss the Project Sunrise program as a PR stunt, coming as Qantas enters its centenary year, the 99th birthday sharing the date with QF7879's November 16 arrival into Sydney, where the milestone will be celebrated with a party attended by 1000 employees. That meant the manufacturers would need to modify existing an aircraft line or come up with something new altogether. “Can I thank both Airbus and Boeing for the tremendous effort they have put into Project Sunrise. Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce and Qantas Captain Lisa Norman will be on the first Project Sunrise research flight from New York to Sydney. Once complete, Qantas will have almost 60 hours of ‘Sunrise flying’ experience and thousands of data points on crew and passenger wellbeing. The last of three Project Sunrise research flights (New York to Sydney) will be conducted on 17 December. Qantas will create a fleet of up to 12 Airbus A350-1000 jets under its ambitious Project Sunrise, which intends to begin non-stop flights from Sydney and Melbourne to … Taking delivery of a new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, Qantas has commenced the first of three Project Sunrise research flights. Project Sunrise is the admittedly very catchy name for plans by Qantas to launch non-stop flights from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane to London, New York and a handful of other destinations. Qantas spins its Project Sunrise research flights Also, in the latter half of 2019, coinciding with this activity, Qantas ran three Project Sunrise “research flights.” These flights flew from New York to Sydney and London to Sydney nonstop using existing Qantas’ 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft. The project in question has to do with the dedicated fleet of 12 Airbus A350-1000 Ultra Long Range (ULR)) aircraft, valued at around US$4.4b in list prices. Last week, Airbus confirmed it had offered Qantas their A350-1000 for Project Sunrise. For sure, the ultra-long-range flights did need changes to existing agreements concerning work hours and rostering, but Qantas quietly weaponized Project Sunrise and its potential benefits, threatening to pull the idea altogether if unions did not come to the table and agree to reforms that did not just apply to the proposed Project Sunrise flights but the broader Qantas Group. Just twelve months ago, Project Sunrise was big news in certain circles. Also, in the latter half of 2019, coinciding with this activity, Qantas ran three Project Sunrise “research flights.” These flights flew from New York to Sydney and London to Sydney nonstop using existing Qantas’ 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft. Ostensibly, these flights were purely scientific and designed to replicate the conditions of the Project Sunrise ultra-long-haul flights. Both manufacturers submitted their proposals last November. “Airbus has given us an extra month to lock in an aircraft order without impacting our planned start date, which means we can spend more time on hopefully reaching a deal with our pilots. “Between the research flights and what we’ve learned from two years of flying Perth to London, we have a lot of confidence in the market for direct services like New York and London to the east coast of Australia. Given Qantas does not expect to be flying international routes again until the latter half of 2021 and that it expects international demand to take years to rebound, it may be the second half of the decade before we see Project Sunrise flights take off. Lead Journalist - Australasia - A Masters level education and appetite for travel combines to make Andrew an incredible aviation brain with decades of insight behind him. But the smart money was backing Airbus. The results of a survey Qantas has been posing to its passengers on board the 17.5 hour flight from Perth to London have been revealed. The question is when. Currently the world’s longest flight is operated by Singapore Airlines’ A350-900ULR, as the airline flies nonstop between Singapore and Newark. So while timelines get pushed back and things are uncertain at the moment, it seems likely that Project Sunrise will go ahead in one form or another. 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