World's longest non-stop flight lasting 22 hours takes off 15 months before schedule

The world's longest non-stop flight takes to the skies today, with flight spotters and aviation fans queuing up to watch the huge plane make it's first journey from Toulouse to Melbourne.

The mammoth Airbus A350-1000 ULR took off from France at 7.33am (2:33 AM EST) this morning and will make a 19-hour-journey 'test-flight' before landing in Australia.

The plane quickly became the most tracked plane in the world on FlightRadar24, a popular website used to monitor the world's sky traffic.

It's not the first flight for the freshly-minted aircraft, having completed its first successful test flight of 3hr 43m over France and the French Atlantic coast on June 2.

Qantas first announced Project Sunrise in 2017, and then ordered 12 custom-designed A350-1000ULR aircraft from Airbus in 2022. (Getty stock image)

Quantas, the airline who introduced these ambitious non-stop flights launched ‘project sunrise’ in 2017, and have been optimistic about the demand for such services.

The idea was to bring the world’s first non-stop commercial flights from Australia, specifically Sydney and Melbourne, to London and New York direct.

The project aims to eliminate traditional stopovers, 'shaving up to four hours off current travel times' with point-to-point journeys lasting up to 22 hours.

Daily flights between Sydney and London are scheduled to officially take off in October 2027, with tickets going on sale in February 2027.

Discussion continue regarding when the Melbourne-New York and Melbourne-London flights will get underway.

Quantas initially ordered 12 custom-designed A350-1000ULR aircraft from Airbus in 2022.

According to Airbus, The Airbus A350 Ultra Long Range (ULR) can fly up to 9,700 nautical miles (about 18,000 kilometers) non-stop. This extreme range allows for up to 22 hours of continuous flight time.

Qantas CEO Vanessa Hudson said flights go on sale in February and would take off in October 2027(Brendon Thorne/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Speaking to News.AU, Qantas CEO Vanessa Hudson said: “We’re going to be able to be announcing the routes progressively as the new aircraft come in over the next two and a half years.

“Demand can change. We know how demand can change, and we’re going to be responsive to that.”

Ms Hudson did not disclose when the Melbourne-New York or Melbourne-London flights could become a reality, only that it would be up for debate after the Sydney flights were deemed commerically viable.

Ms Hudson said they hoped the launch of Sydney-London would stimulate demand for the service out of other airports. (Getty stock image)

Qantas chief financial officer Rob Marcolina, when asked why Sydney was chosen as the pilot project for the flights over Melbourne, said the 'size of the market' was what gave Sydney the advantage.

“Either would have been a great choice, but one of them had to go first and I think we’re really comfortable with it coming out of Sydney."

He added that by using these ultra-long range jets he could free up other planes, like the Boeing 787 to unlock new routes - such as Chicago, South America, North America and potentially places like Athens and Africa.