Qantas to launch non stop Sydney to New York flights in historic Project Sunrise expansion

Stay connected to Greek City Times for Free on Google News
Click NOW

Qantas will launch its first ever non stop commercial service between Sydney and New York, with the historic route scheduled to begin in mid 2028.

The new service will allow passengers to fly from Australia to the United States without a stopover, with the journey expected to take around 18 hours.

Tickets for the inaugural Sydney to New York flights are expected to go on sale in August 2027.

The announcement marks the second major route under Qantas’ ambitious Project Sunrise programme, which is designed to connect Australia’s east coast directly with major international destinations.

Sydney to New York without a stop

The new flight will eliminate the need for Australian travellers to change aircraft on their journey to New York.

Qantas currently operates a daily Sydney to New York service via Auckland. Under Project Sunrise, passengers will instead board in Sydney and remain on the same aircraft until they reach New York.

Qantas Group CEO Vanessa Hudson described the route as a long held ambition for the airline.

“From 2028, our customers will be able to board in Sydney and arrive in New York around 18 hours later without stopping once,” Hudson said.

The route also represents a dramatic change from Qantas’ earliest Sydney to New York services.

When the airline first connected Sydney with New York in 1958, passengers had to stop in Fiji, Honolulu and San Francisco before reaching the United States.

London will come first

The Sydney to New York route will follow the launch of Qantas’ first Project Sunrise service, connecting Sydney and London non stop.

That service is scheduled to begin in October 2027, with tickets expected to go on sale in February 2027.

Qantas says the direct Sydney to London flight will cut up to four hours from the journey compared with existing one stop options.

The route will also mark another chapter in the history of the Kangaroo Route.

When Qantas first flew from Sydney to London in 1947, the journey took four days and involved seven stops, including Singapore, Cairo and Rome.

Project Sunrise will eventually allow passengers to make the journey without a stop between Australia’s east coast and the UK.

The aircraft behind Project Sunrise

Both the Sydney to London and Sydney to New York services will use specially configured Airbus A350 1000ULR aircraft.

Qantas has ordered 12 of the ultra long range aircraft, each configured with 238 seats across four cabins.

The aircraft will also feature an additional 20,000 litre fuel tank, allowing them to operate flights covering more than 16,000 kilometres.

Qantas says the onboard experience has been specifically designed around ultra long haul travel.

The aircraft will feature tailored lighting, meal timing designed around passengers’ body clocks and a dedicated Wellbeing Zone where travellers can move and stretch during the flight.

Australia’s longest flights are coming

The Project Sunrise programme is set to fundamentally change how Australians travel to Europe and North America.

However, the planned services remain subject to aircraft availability and the regulatory approvals required before the flights can begin.

For Sydney travellers heading to New York, the biggest change will be simple: no connection, no airport transfer and no second flight.

But passengers will have to decide whether avoiding a stopover is worth spending around 18 hours in the air.

Would you fly 18 hours non stop from Sydney to New York?

Stay updated with the latest news from Greece and around the world on greekcitytimes.com.
Contact our newsroom to share your updates, stories, photos, or videos. Follow GCT on Google News and Apple News.