Qantas Project Sunrise to start in New York not London

Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce has said that Project Sunrise direct flights from Australia’s east coast are likely to begin with New York and not London. In comments reported by Bloomberg, Joyce revealed the British capital would follow next, despite its current flights there being its most iconic ‘Kangaroo’ service, and one of the first routes restarted post-COVID. Project Sunrise is the codename for the airline’s plan to fly non-stop to far-away destinations using a new fleet of 12 specially adapted A350-1000s. The service is set to begin “by the end of the calendar year 2025” from Sydney. Speaking at the World Aviation Festival in Amsterdam, Joyce also said there had been no indication the aircraft’s deliveries could be delayed and was “quite happy” with his communication with Airbus. However, he indicated he would speak to the planemaker’s CE, Guillaume Faury, about how “on track” the A350s are. The already ultra-long-haul aircraft will need to be adapted to house additional fuel tanks to make the 20-hour flight. “I think every airline would be after certainty on the time-frames,” he said, adding that if deliveries come “a month later, it doesn’t make much difference, if it’s six months or a year, that can make a big difference.”<br/>