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Qantas’ first Project Sunrise Airbus A350-1000ULR exits Toulouse final assembly; Heathrow–Perth nonstops progress

Qantas has unveiled its first Project Sunrise Airbus A350-1000ULR, rolling off Airbus’ final assembly line in Toulouse and entering ground and flight testing (registered F-WZNK). Delivery is targeted for late 2026 ahead of the launch of ultra-long-range services. The airline also says demand remains strong for Heathrow–Perth direct departures that avoid the Gulf, with routes of up to 22 hours.

Discovered 2026-04-12T11:49:02.381390-07:00 | 2026-04-12T11:49:02.381390-07:00

Briefing

What Hype is tracking

  • This is a concrete milestone toward Project Sunrise, moving the first -1000ULR airframe from final assembly into testing with a late-2026 delivery window—directly tied to when Qantas can launch 20+ hour ultra-long-haul operations.
  • The cluster highlights demand positioning for Heathrow–Perth nonstop service that “avoids the Gulf,” in contrast to prior disruption dynamics seen when Qantas suspended Perth–London direct flying as Middle East airspace closures persisted (source:0f626edd-1594-43f9-bc3c-1710c9f2925d).
  • For Airbus and the widebody market, each -1000ULR delivery adds to the pipeline at a time when A350 output and handover timing remain under scrutiny (source:5a567cd1-f564-4026-9a8d-4f59fe4efc1b).

Reported By

rynek-lotniczy.pl nbr.co.nz aircraftinteriorstoday.com aerobuzz.de Travel Radar air-journal.fr
Sources Tracked
29
First Seen
2026-04-12T11:49:02.381390-07:00
Latest Update
2026-04-17T21:40:13.361300-07:00
Coverage
Aviation

Sources

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