Airbus has pushed the first Qantas A350-1000ULR to its longest flight yet, completing a 24-hour 24-minute Melbourne-to-Toulouse return leg on 28 July. The MSN707 test aircraft, registered F-WULR, covered about 12,460 nautical miles as Airbus ran a development mission for Project Sunrise, not the certification flight itself. The campaign is built to prove a 23-hour block-time profile, with two Qantas guest pilots joining the return sector. Airbus is validating fuel management, especially the 20,900-litre rear centre tank, along with cabin comfort, air conditioning and other systems needed for ultra-long-range operations.