Airbus completed the first flight of the A350-1000ULR on 2 June 2026 in Toulouse, with MSN 707, the first of 12 aircraft ordered by Qantas, flying for three hours and 43 minutes and reaching slightly above 41,000 feet.
The aircraft is fitted with special flight-test instrumentation and marks the start of a flight-test campaign for the ultra-long-range variant. Airbus is developing the type for Qantas’s Project Sunrise network, including nonstop services between Australia and London and New York. The manufacturer says the design adds an additional rear centre tank and increases range by 1,000 nautical miles, supporting sectors of almost 10,000 nautical miles and flight times of up to 22 hours.
The second A350-1000ULR for Qantas is already in final assembly and is scheduled for delivery in April 2027.