To this end, the airline is planning to order 12 Airbus A350-1000ULRs for planned non-stop routes to Europe and the US West Coast. The airline expects to reach an agreement with the European planemaker by mid-2022.
"Work has also resumed on Project Sunrise. Our latest customer research shows the demand for direct long-haul flights is even stronger than it was pre-COVID, so our focus on delivering non-stop services from Sydney Kingsford Smith and Melbourne Tullamarine to New York JFK and London Heathrow remains," Qantas Group Chief Executive Alan Joyce said.
The deal with Airbus for 12 A350-1000(ULR)s is subject to Qantas board approval. If everything goes as planned, the Australian flag carrier aims to launch its first intercontinental non-stop flights from Eastern Australia in 2025.
Qantas tentatively chose the A350-1000 ULR for its proposed "Project Sunrise" flights in December 2019. The completion of the purchase was then repeatedly postponed as the airline industry floundered with the impact of the pandemic.
