Qantas shelves ‘Project Sunrise’ plan for world’s longest flights

Qantas has shelved plans to launch the longest direct flights in the world and will review its fleet due to the collapse of international travel as a result of the coronavirus outbreak. Alan Joyce, Qantas CE, said Tuesday the airline was on track to reduce its cash burn rate to A$40m a week by the end of June, which would enable it to last out the pandemic that has grounded most of its flights. But a full recovery in international travel could take years, he said, which meant the carrier needed to overhaul its operations. The decision to suspend indefinitely its “Project Sunrise” plan to fly direct from Sydney and Melbourne to European cities and New York is a blow for Qantas, which has invested significant resources in ultra-long-haul travel. It is also disappointing for Airbus, which won the contract to supply modified aircraft for the routes. “We will be putting Project Sunrise on hold,” said Joyce. “The time is not right now given the impact that Covid-19 has had on world travel. We certainly won't be ordering aircraft for that this year.” Qantas had intended to order 12 Airbus A350-1000 aircraft before the end of March to operate the world’s longest commercial direct flights, including the so-called kangaroo route between Australia and the UK. <br/>