Airbus A350-1000ULR sets official world record for the longest commercial airliner flight
Airbus says its Melbourne–Toulouse test flight of 23,155 km is now the official Guinness World Record. What it means for Qantas's Sydney–London flights.
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The essentials: Airbus announced on 9 November 2026 that its A350-1000ULR, the long-range jet built for Qantas, has officially broken the Guinness World Record for the longest flight by distance by a commercial airliner. The record comes from a non-stop test flight from Melbourne to Toulouse on 27–28 July 2026, which covered 12,503 nautical miles (23,155 km) in 24 hours and 24 minutes. The aircraft is due to start Qantas’s “Project Sunrise” flights between Sydney and London in 2027.
What exactly did the plane do?
The aircraft, flying under the call sign AIB35LR, left Melbourne at 17:27 local time on Monday 27 July and landed in Toulouse at 09:51 local time on Tuesday 28 July, according to Airbus. Instead of the shortest route, it flew north-east over the Pacific towards Los Angeles, crossed North America and the Atlantic, passed over London and then headed south to Toulouse. The crew saw two sunsets and two sunrises on the way.
Thirteen people were on board, Airbus said: three Airbus test pilots, two Qantas captains, Airbus flight test and design engineers, and a representative of the International Aeronautical Federation (FAI).
Why is the record only official now?
When the plane landed in July, the media described the record as unofficial. FLYING Magazine wrote at the time that the jet had set “unofficial records for distance and endurance by a commercial airliner.” Airbus now says Guinness World Records has confirmed it, based on flight data checked independently by the FAI and by the tracking service Flightradar24.
Figures for the flight differ slightly between sources. Airbus gives 12,503 nautical miles, FLYING reported 12,460 nautical miles in July, and Dexerto quoted Flightradar24 with a flight time of 24 hours and 23 minutes, one minute less than the Airbus figure.
| A350-1000ULR test flight | Singapore–New York (current longest scheduled route) | |
|---|---|---|
| Distance | 23,155 km (Airbus) | 15,350 km (AFP) |
| Duration | 24 h 24 min | More than 18 hours (AFP) |
| Aircraft | A350-1000ULR | A350 (another version) |
What is different about the ULR version?
ULR stands for “ultra long range”. The main change from a standard A350-1000 is an additional rear centre fuel tank, which AFP says holds 20,000 litres. Airbus says this tank is built into the structure of the aircraft and adds 1,000 nautical miles of range.
“Flying 12,503 nautical miles non-stop, we have fully proven the aircraft’s capability to fulfill its mission,” said Lars Wagner, head of Airbus Commercial Aircraft. “And the world record was the icing on the cake!”
When can passengers fly Sydney–London non-stop?
Qantas has ordered 12 A350-1000ULRs for Project Sunrise, as well as 12 standard A350-1000s, according to Airbus. The first ULR is due to be delivered in April 2027. AFP reported that non-stop flights between London and Sydney are planned from October 2027, with Sydney–New York to follow later.
The routes are almost 10,000 nautical miles long, and Airbus says scheduled flights will last up to 22 hours. The record flight therefore covered about 2,500 nautical miles more than the longest route the aircraft is expected to fly with passengers. Australian travellers on the future non-stop flights will also need an electronic travel authorisation to enter the UK (see our UK ETA guide).
