Qantas to launch first scheduled non-stop Sydney-New York flights in 2028

Qantas will launch nonstop flights between Sydney and New York – the second of its Project Sunrise flights linking Australia with Europe and North America – by the middle of 2028.

The route is a landmark for the Australian flag carrier and will mark the first time the two countries’ largest cities are linked without any intermediate stops. 

The non-stop flight will shave around three hours off the current fastest journey time between the two cities. 

Project Sunrise flights to New York start in 2028

Tickets for the inaugural Sydney to New York service are set to go on sale next August, with the inaugural flight pencilled in for 12 months later. 

New York is the second Project Sunrise route to be confirmed, following the Sydney to London non-stop flights that begin in October 2027.

Qantas Group CEO Vanessa Hudson has said the plans for ultra-long-haul flying from Australia without any stopovers – an operation that comes with a significant fuel penalty – are going ahead as planned despite the spike in jet fuel prices. 

Uplifting the fuel needed to link Sydney with London or New York adds weight, which in turn burns extra fuel just to carry that fuel. 

“We’ve retested that business case and I think that some of the things that continue to make us confident about that number are that the demand for non-stop services continues to be incredibly strong,” she told the FT.

Qantas first flew to New York in 1958 – via Fiji, Honolulu and San Francisco

Qantas first flew to New York in 1958, as part of its inaugural round-the-world service. The airline’s journey from Sydney routed via Fiji, Honolulu and San Francisco. 

Currently, Qantas operates a daily one-stop service between Sydney and New York via Auckland.

How is Qantas achieving the non-stop route to New York?

The airline will operate Project Sunrise flights on 12 purpose built Airbus A350-1000ULR aircraft.

The ultra-long-range variant features an additional 20,000-litre fuel tank, allowing the aircraft to fly more than 16,000km and remain airborne for up to 22 hours.

Each will be configured with 238 seats across four cabins, with the first test aircraft already in the final stages of its flight test programme.

A second aircraft has already entered its eight-week testing and certification programme after completing its maiden flight earlier in the summer.

One of Qantas’ A350-1000ULR aircraft recently completed a non-stop 24 hour and 24 minute flight from Melbourne to Toulouse, a first for any commercial airliner in the world. 

The first aircraft is expected to be delivered to Qantas in April next year.

In preparation for the aircraft’s arrival, Qantas pilots have begun training on Australia’s first A350 simulator in Sydney. 

More than 360 Qantas pilots and 1,200 cabin crew will be trained to operate Qantas’ fleet of Project Sunrise aircraft by the time the 12th A350-1000ULR arrives.

High fuel prices won’t derail ultra-long-haul plans, says CEO

Hudson is clear that there is sufficient demand to sustain a non-stop connection between Sydney and London and New York, even if costs are soaring. 

The nonstop Perth-London route, which has been operating since before the pandemic, is a proven example of the willingness of travellers to put up with ultra-long flights, even in economy class. 

Hudson told the FT: “Even with the fuel price as high as it is, [the Perth-London route] is still the highest performing … on our network.”

Qantas says demand for travel between Australia and the United States continues to grow, with visitor arrivals from the US up five per cent year-on-year. 

Demand in and out of New York on Qantas has nearly doubled since 2023 and the appetite for non-stop, ultra long-haul flying has also continued to grow, with intent to book rising from 58 to 70 per cent since February this year, and reaching 80 per cent among premium travellers, according to ABS US Visitor Arrivals Data from September 2026 and research conducted in May 2026 by an external research firm and commissioned by Qantas.

Since 2018, nearly two million passengers have flown on Qantas’ non-stop long-haul services from Perth to London, Rome and Paris, and its Melbourne to Dallas and Auckland to New York services, with these routes recording the highest customer satisfaction scores on the airline’s international network.

Qantas prioritises passenger comfort for 22-hour journey

The team behind Project Sunrise has focused on enhancing the passenger experience for these ultra-long-haul flights.

This includes improved lighting and a wellbeing zone.

Hudson added: “New York has always captured the imagination, and for generations, reaching it from Australia has meant breaking up the journey somewhere along the way. 

“From 2028, our customers will be able to board in Sydney and arrive in New York around 18 hours later without stopping once, cutting around three hours off the current fastest travel time. That changes what’s possible for travel between our two countries.

“Flying these distances is only worth doing if our customers arrive feeling their best, and that belief has shaped everything we’ve built. 

“Over the past decade, working alongside experts, we’ve designed the aircraft and the onboard experience around the science of ultra long-haul travel, from the lighting to the meals to a world-first Wellbeing Zone. This is a fundamentally different way to fly.”