Airbus beats Boeing to world’s longest flight record with 24-hour A350 journey
4 min read
Airbus has claimed the world record for the longest flight by a commercial airliner, snatching the accolade from competitor Boeing after two decades.
The record was set by the Airbus A350-1000ULR, a specific variant of its flagship widebody aircraft developed for Qantas, to allow the Aussie airline to fly directly from Sydney to London and New York. To make such ultra-long flights possible, Airbus added an extra fuel tank, giving it a published range of around 10,000 nautical miles (nm).
But the world record-setting flight substantially exceeded this range, clocking in at over 12,500 nm and unseating Boeing’s 777-200LR ‘Worldliner’ as the longest flight by distance by a commercial airliner.
Airbus A350-1000ULR goes the long way round to set a new record
The record-breaking flight took place between 27 and 28 July this year, and saw the A350-1000ULR depart Melbourne and fly to Toulouse. A direct flight would cover around 9,100 nm – a long flight indeed, but not enough to break any records.
In order to go the distance, Airbus opted to travel the long way round, crossing two oceans in the process.
Leaving Melbourne on the afternoon of 27 July, the aircraft flew over Sydney and headed across the Pacific, crossing the international date line. It passed by Los Angeles and crossed the American continent before heading across its second ocean: the Atlantic.
From there, the flight headed south, crossing the UK and landing in Toulouse in the morning of 28 July. Airbus added that the 13 people onboard got to witness two sunrises and two sunsets during the journey.
The flight took a total of 24 hours and 24 minutes, and covered a distance of 12,503 nm. Airbus said the flight was part of the test campaign for the A350-1000ULR, which Qantas had requested be tested with a block time of 23 hours to simulate the very longest commercial operations it could face.
The official Guinness World Record for the longest flight by distance by a commercial airliner was announced on 9 November, and is based on aircraft data independently validated by the International Aeronautical Federation and Flightradar24.
Airbus A350 unseats the mighty Boeing 777
The previous record for the longest flight by distance by a commercial airliner was set 21 years ago, in November 2005.
Between 9 and 10 November 2005, Boeing flew its 777-200LR ‘Worldliner’ from Hong Kong to London. Like Airbus, it went the long way round the globe to give it the space for the demonstration. In all, the aircraft covered 11,664 NM nonstop before landing at Heathrow.
The flight took 22 hours and 42 minutes, and had a representative of the US National Aeronautic Association on board to monitor the attempt. Guinness representatives met the aircraft in London.
Boeing has previously held the record with the 747 and its 777-200ER. Airbus, too, had the crown for a while with its A340-200.
Previous world record-setting commercial flights
| Year | Aircraft | Record-setting flight |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | South African Airways Boeing 747SP | Flew nonstop from the Seattle area to Cape Town on delivery, covering approximately 8,940 nm and establishing a commercial-airliner distance record. |
| 1989 | Qantas Boeing 747-400 | Flew London–Sydney nonstop, covering 9,200 nm according to Boeing’s later record comparison. |
| 1993 | Airbus A340-200 “World Ranger” | Flew Paris–Auckland and back with one refuelling stop in Auckland. Its individual legs exceeded 10,000 nm, setting new airliner distance milestones. |
| 1997 | Boeing 777-200ER | Flew Seattle–Kuala Lumpur eastward, covering 10,823 nm. |
| 2005 | Boeing 777-200LR | Flew Hong Kong–London eastward, covering 11,664 nm in 22 hours and 42 minutes. |
Why Airbus has made a plane that can fly for 24 hours
Located a long way from most of the populated world, Qantas is no stranger to long flights. But nonstop flights from Sydney to Europe and the East Coast of the US remained out of reach.
Qantas asked Airbus to develop a widebody aircraft that would be capable of routes like Sydney to London and New York.
Airbus answered that challenge with the A350-1000ULR. It had already developed a longer-range version of the smaller A350-900 for Singapore Airlines, which currently operates the world’s longest scheduled flights from Singapore to the New York area. It’s also stretched the range of its popular narrowbody A321neo into the XLR, and was well placed to do this again with its biggest aircraft.
The A350-1000ULR has an additional rear centre fuel tank which provides around 20,000 litres of extra capacity. Coupled with that is an upgraded maximum takeoff weight (MTOW), allowing it to carry the extra fuel. Airbus says this adds around 1,000 nm to the A350-1000’s range.
Alongside changes to the fuelling, the aircraft has a new lighter galley cooling system, which has saved around 300 kg of carried weight. Although this was developed for the ULR specifically, Airbus plans to make it standard across the A350 family.
The manufacturer thought of the humans on board too, with revised crew rest facilities for the pilots and cabin crew who will operate these mega flights. The passenger cabin is premium-heavy and includes a wellbeing zone for stretching and standing.
You can read more about how Airbus designed the A350ULR for Qantas in our deep dive here.
Qantas has ordered 12 A350-1000ULR for Project Sunrise, with the first delivery anticipated in the first half of 2027. The 20+ hour Sydney – London services are expected to begin later in the year, with New York to follow after.
