This is the aircraft that will soon be making the world’s longest commercial flights. The first Airbus A350-1000ULR (Ultra Long Range), the first of twelve ordered by the Australian airline Qantas, made its maiden flight on June 2 from the European aircraft manufacturer’s facilities in Toulouse. The aircraft, equipped with flight test instrumentation, flew for three hours and forty-three minutes, reaching an altitude of just over 41,000 feet (~12500 m).
Qantas will launch this version of the A350-1000 as part of its Sunrise project, which aims to link Australia with London and New York non-stop. The A350-1000ULR will have a range of around 9,700 nautical miles (18,000 km), giving it a range of up to 22 flight hours. This will cut journey times on its longest routes by up to four hours compared with a stopover, particularly on the “Kangaroo Route” between Sydney and London.
The new Airbus A350-1000ULR features a number of improvements over the A350-1000, particularly in terms of systems. But the major change is the installation of an additional 20,000-liter fuel tank, the RCT (Rear Center Tank). Airbus said that during this first flight, the crew carried out general performance checks and tested the new fuel system architecture.
The first MSN 707 flight marks the start of a two-month flight test campaign to certify the modifications made to the A350-1000. In addition, a new galley air cooling system will be certified. This includes lighter, more efficient refrigeration units for long-haul flights. Cabin ventilation and temperature control will also be extensively tested.
At the end of the flight test campaign, MSN 707 will be modified to meet Qantas’ commercial specifications. Airbus also announces that the second A350-1000ULR produced for Qantas, and the first to be delivered to the airline in April 2027, is currently in the final assembly phase and ready to leave the paint shop in the next few days. The next step is to fit out the premium four-class cabin and install the engines.
As a reminder, the Australian airline has opted for a four-class configuration of just 238 seats (6 suites in First, 52 seats in Business class, 40 in Premium Economy and just 140 in Economy class) for its A350-1000ULRs, a cabin designed to limit the fatigue associated with these very long flights. Qantas has also ordered 12 A350-1000s in the standard version for its more traditional long-haul flights.
