Qantas Airbus A350-1000ULR world’s longest commercial flight record, Digi Mart USA News (Melbourne to Toulouse): Qantas Airways has entered the Guinness Book of World Records after the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) verified that its Airbus A350-1000ULR passenger aircraft completed the world’s longest commercial flight, from Melbourne, Australia, to Toulouse, France.
The flight departed Melbourne on July 27, 2026. Aboard were three Airbus test pilots, two Qantas pilots, five Airbus flight engineers, two Airbus design engineers, and an FAI representative for verification monitoring. The 12,503-nautical-mile (14,388-mile, 23,155-km) journey took 24 hours and 24 minutes.
To cover the distance, the baseline A350 was fitted with a new rear center fuel tank holding up to 20,900 liters (5,521 gallons), along with upgraded fuel lines, pumps, temperature-monitoring equipment and a nitrogen inerting system to reduce the risk of fires and explosions. According to the publisher’s report, these changes extend the aircraft’s operational range by up to 1,000 nautical miles (1,151 miles, 1,852 km).
Other modifications included reinforced load-bearing points around the center wing box and undercarriage, an increased maximum takeoff weight to allow greater payloads, and Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 engines adjusted for extended low-thrust cruising. The cabin was configured with 238 seats, leaving room for a “wellbeing zone,” hydration stations, special lighting and meal schedules to reduce jet lag, and extended crew rest facilities.
The flight is part of Qantas’ Project Sunrise, a plan to establish non-stop routes from Sydney to London and New York. Currently such journeys require stopovers in places such as Singapore, Dubai and Doha, which the report says can add at least four hours to a one-stop trip.
According to Qantas, ultra-long-haul flights could be sold at a premium to business and high-end leisure travellers, as well as Premium Economy passengers, and the airline would have a temporary monopoly on such flights from eastern Australia until other carriers invest in similar aircraft.
Airbus Chief Executive Officer Commercial Aircraft Lars Wagner said the achievement reflected the company’s pioneering spirit and that the aircraft’s capability to fly 12,503 nautical miles non-stop had been fully proven. The publisher’s report notes that the record was retrieved from a single publisher article and was not independently verified.
