Qantas’ Airbus A350-1000ULR Launch Delayed Again

Qantas’ ultra-long-haul Project Sunrise initiative, using the A350-1000ULR, has been hit with yet another delay, just as things looked to be on the improve.

Now, Qantas does not expect to take delivery of its first A350-1000ULR, a modified version of the base -1000, until April 2027. The airline confirmed that this delay means the previously outlined 2026 delivery will no longer be possible.

The Australian flag carrier, for the moment, is pointing to ongoing supply chain issues at Airbus but is not shedding further light on why the state-of-the-art plane was not arriving on time.

Just last week, it was reported that Airbus was notifying customers of passenger and freight A350s to expect additional delays in taking delivery of aircraft through the end of the decade, as it faces many complications with its output targets.

Qantas Copes With The Bad News

Qantas has 12 of these Airbus A350-1000ULRs on firm order for its Project Sunrise flights; these are to be configured with 238 seats and have a much greater reliance on premium seating than a typical commercial airliner in its fleet.

Additionally, the airline has adopted a Wellbeing zone to ensure that the marathon journeys the A350-1000ULRs will operate, such as Sydney to New York and Sydney to London, are comfortable. With that said, the economy will still be featured, but with fewer seats to maximise comfort and range.

Now, the airline expects to take on the first A350-1000ULR by April 2027, rather than late 2026. Under this latest forecast, direct services are once again left in the unknown. Previously, the airlines’ late-2026 first delivery, followed by months worth of testing, was then going to allow for a mid-2027 launch of these marathon flights.

Now, the world’s longest passenger flights have once again come under scrutiny, and not for the first time, as the relationship between Qantas and Airbus over this revolutionary flight has become all the more strained.

In early April, Qantas celebrated the rollout of its first completed A350-1000ULR jet, a highly anticipated step toward the launch. But how quickly can times change now that fresh delays have been forecast and are impacting the business?

How The Timeline Has Slipped

Qantas’s expectation of a 2027 first delivery and, thus, presumably a late-2027 launch of Project Sunrise flights after formal testing isn’t the first delay the Australian flag carrier has ultimately had to deal with.

The airline was torn between the A350-1000ULR and 777-8 in the back end of the 2010s; the Airbus option was earmarked as the ideal choice before the COVID-19 pandemic delayed any fundamental decision, as the airline was forced into a preservation model.

Once the deal was confirmed, the airline wanted to launch operations as soon as possible, whilst acknowledging that there would be limitations, as this aircraft isn’t a standard variant that has already been certified. The A350-1000ULR features an additional centre fuel tank and further refinements that extend the range beyond 20 hours, similar to the approach taken with the A321XLR.

Through the years, there have been countless delays. In March 2025, the airline further confirmed delays to the debut of the ULR, hoping for a September 2025 first flight and delivery in 2026 as well.

That was then followed by 2024’s report, which showed another six-month delay in the Project Sunrise launch. This has been repeated and presents an ironic scenario in which much of the A350-1000ULR’s decision-making was driven by its readiness, even with adjustments over the base model, which has now collapsed.

Even with the continued delays, Qantas is remaining patient; it knows what this aircraft will be able to do for it once it enters service. The airline expects to see at least near $300 million per year of operating profits once all the planes are in service, showing just what it’ll do.