Qantas Ends An Era at London Heathrow

Qantas is ending an era, but also evolving a long-established flight, as it will axe QF1/2 from its Sydney to London Heathrow service via Singapore from 31 October 2027.

The change in time for the northern winter 2027/28 season sees the long-running QF1/2 flight change to QF5/6 and crucially aligns with the planned launch of nonstop Sydney to London flights under Project Sunrise with the A350-1000ULR

The schedule changes confirm the long-expected change but don’t change the daily A380 flight that’ll remain offered through Singapore by the Australian flag-carrier and one that’s been a staple for some time.

QF1/2 becomes QF5/6 for Qantas in late-2027

According to aeroroutes schedule updates, the flight number for QF1/2 is expected to shift from late October to the start of the northern summer 2027/28 scheduling season.

QF5/6 will replace the QF1/2 leg between Sydney and London via Singapore. On the filed outbound service, QF5 would depart Sydney Airport at 1720 and arrive at Singapore Changi at 2225. The next leg departs Singapore the following morning at 0025 and arrives at London Heathrow at 0705.

Returning to Australia is QF6, departing Heathrow at 2010 and arriving the following day at 1740 in Singapore. The last leg departs two hours later at 1940 and arrives at 0635 in Sydney, which, thanks to time zones, will be two calendar days after leaving the United Kingdom.

Qantas therefore isn’t committed to ending the service to London via Singapore from Sydney, even with the planned commencement of nonstop Project Sunrise flights from Sydney to London, which eliminates the need for a stopover.

Project Sunrise will take QF1/2

Qantas is planning to take delivery of its first Airbus A350-1000ULR in April 2027 after heavy delays. After the first delivery, the aircraft will begin a crew familiarisation period before starting regular service in October next year.

With tickets to go on sale in February 2027, the aircraft named Vega will first fly Sydney to London; from mid-2028, it is planned to begin serving Sydney to London without a stop as more units are delivered.

All services remain subject to change and ultimately depend on Airbus’s ongoing certification and testing programme for the A350-1000ULR and its ability to meet delivery timelines, which have historically fallen short in recent years.

By Qantas therefore ending the QF1/2 flight number on its Sydney-to-London segment via Singapore after years of this being a staple, just in time for the commencement of Project Sunrise nonstop journeys.

The transfer, confirmed by the airline transfer will preserve the Sydney-to-London flight number, but Singapore’s role predates the one-stop service. The first Kangaroo route departed Sydney for London in 1947, and Singapore was one of the many stops along the way.

In October 2027, it’ll be nearly 70 years to the day since this service was offered, and the QF1/2 segment being attached to Project Sunrise, which, when first announced in the 2010s, was considered the final frontier of travel, is be a fitting move by the company.

Ultimately, with QF1/2 being for so long known as part of services to London Heathrow now being axed from its Singapore stopover in the same month Project Sunrise would launch, opens the door for a simple handover to what will become the airline’s flagship long-haul service and a statement not just to Australia but to the broader world.