Qantas Nears Project Sunrise A350 Launch

Qantas’ upcoming Project Sunrise endeavour is one step closer to getting off the ground following a landmark certification development.

The Australian flag carrier has confirmed that the all-important third fuel tank on its A350-1000 has been certified.

Qantas will use an enhanced A350-1000 for Project Sunrise. The airline will focus on ultra-long-range flights that exceed 20 hours of nonstop flight time, so it needs an aircraft that can be airborne at such times.

When Qantas considered its options, Airbus put forward the enhanced A350-1000, which was a surefire winner. The airline then proceeded to order the aircraft.

Vanessa Hudson, the airline CEO who replaced Alan Joyce, said that thanks to the Australian Civil Aviation Authority certifying the extra fuel tank, the next steps for delivery can begin.

Qantas expects the first delivery sometime in mid-2026, with Project Sunrise flights likely commencing later that year. Crew familiarisation will occur first on shorter flights, similar to most new aircraft types that enter an airline’s fleet, and this occurred at Qantas with the introduction of the 787 Dreamliner.

Project Sunrise’s Recent Delays

On several occasions, the launch of Project Sunrise has been delayed for reasons outside of Qantas’ control and some because of its decision-making.

The global pandemic significantly delayed the airline’s ability to purchase the aircraft it wanted and get the program off the ground. As travel demand plummeted and harsh restrictions fell on Australia, Qantas had far greater concerns.

Furthermore, the airline’s continued rebuilding has been under its control following several groundbreaking revelations centring around decisions made by executives during the pandemic, which has come back to bite the company. Qantas is still facing an uphill battle to restore the Australian people’s and travellers’ trust.

However, at the beginning of 2024, Qantas announced that it would expect the first Airbus A350 delivery to slip to 2026, thus representing another delay on the previous 2025 target timeframe established.

Once launched, Project Sunrise will represent Qantas’ final frontier in travel. The flights will remove geographical boundaries, which means Qantas will struggle to reach certain markets.

Additionally, the arrival of the Airbus A350 will enable the carrier to launch to new markets, ease pressure on the 787 and A350 and finally begin providing much-needed capacity to Australians.

Ultimately, following the global pandemic, several international airlines, from United to Qatar, have shown significantly higher ambition in serving Australia than its flag carrier. These ambitions are backed up by high expansion and route frequency increases, whereas Qantas has been stagnant because it does not have enough aircraft to meet capacity.