The Airbus A350-1000ULR (Ultra-Long Range) has officially secured a Guinness World Record by completing the longest flight by distance ever operated by a commercial airliner. The historic achievement was verified using flight telemetry data independently evaluated and confirmed by both the International Aeronautical Federation and the tracking network flightradar24.
Operating under the manufacturer call-sign AIB35LR, the test flight took off from Melbourne, Australia, at 1727H local time (0627H UTC) on Monday, 27 July 2026, and touched down at the Airbus assembly home base in Toulouse, France, at 0951H local time (0751H UTC) on Tuesday, 28 July 2026. The aircraft flew non-stop across an extraordinary distance of 12,503 nautical miles, equivalent to 23,155 kilometers, logging a continuous flight duration of 24 hours and 24 minutes in the air.
This long-distance mission formed a key part of the flight test program for the A350-1000ULR, which Airbus is engineering specifically for Qantas Airways (QF) under the Australian carrier’s ambitious Project Sunrise initiative. The flight profile satisfied a strict requirement for Airbus to execute at least one test sector with a minimum block time of 23 hours, measuring from push-back at the departure gate to chocks-on at arrival, thereby accurately simulating the absolute longest scheduled commercial sectors possible with the widebody twinjet.
Upon departure from Melbourne (MEL), the aircraft tracked northeast over Sydney (SYD) before heading across the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean toward Los Angeles (LAX), crossing the international date line along its trajectory. The widebody then traversed the continental United States and crossed the North Atlantic Ocean toward the United Kingdom, flying directly over London (LHR) before turning south toward its final destination in Toulouse (TLS). In traversing three continents and two oceans during the day-and-a-half flight, the flight crew observed two distinct sunsets and two sunrises.
A dedicated team of 13 people was on board the record-setting aircraft. This manifest comprised a cockpit crew of three Airbus flight test pilots, two Qantas flight crew members, and five Airbus flight test engineers. In addition, two Airbus design engineers accompanied the flight alongside an official representative from the International Aeronautical Federation to witness and record the milestone.
“This achievement reflects the pioneering and innovative spirit that is part of our DNA at Airbus. In responding to the challenge laid down by Qantas, our teams came together to extend the range of the A350-1000 in an efficient and economically viable way to undertake the world’s longest ever commercial flights. Flying 12,503 nautical miles non-stop, we have fully proven the aircraft’s capability to fulfill its mission. And the world record was the icing on the cake,” according to Lars Wagner, Chief Executive Officer Commercial Aircraft at Airbus.
Wagner further acknowledged the broader industry collaboration that drove the project forward, adding, “Huge congratulations to all the teams at Airbus who have made this project a reality. And thank you to Qantas for an incredible partnership that has seen us push boundaries together, to Rolls-Royce for its full support and to all our partners who have contributed to this exciting moment in aviation history. Today we can say that the A350 truly is the undisputed Long Range Leader!”
The A350-1000ULR variant will make history for Qantas Airways by enabling direct, non-stop passenger services connecting Sydney with both London and New York. Spanning nearly 10,000 nautical miles with scheduled flight duration reaching up to 22 hours, these operations are unlocked by structural airframe enhancements, notably the integration of an additional rear center tank (RCT). This internal fuel capacity upgrade extends the operational range of the baseline A350-1000 by 1,000 nautical miles while optimizing mission fuel burn.
As the fourth passenger variant of the clean-sheet A350 Family, the A350-1000ULR joins the A350-900, the A350-900ULR, and the standard A350-1000. Across global networks, the aircraft family has established high benchmarks for long-haul operations by delivering a step-change reduction in fuel burn and carbon emissions while elevating cabin comfort standards. The commercial passenger line-up will soon be expanded with the all-new A350F freighter variant, currently under development at Airbus with its maiden flight scheduled later this year.
Commercial momentum for the widebody program remains robust. By the close of October 2026, the A350 Family had accumulated 1,628 orders from 70 airline customers, with more than 740 airframes already in active service across 42 operators worldwide on key long-haul routes.
For Project Sunrise, Qantas holds firm orders for 12 A350-1000ULRs. The flagship initial delivery is slated for next April, ahead of its formal commercial debut on the flagship Sydney to London route later that year. Alongside the ULR sub-fleet, Qantas also has 12 standard A350-1000 aircraft on order to reinforce its ongoing international long-haul operations.