Airbus completes record 24-hour nonstop test flight from Australia to France

A specially modified Airbus A350 landed in France on Tuesday after completing a record-breaking test flight lasting 24 hours and 24 minutes from Australia, ahead of joining the Qantas fleet next year.

The flight covered 23,076 kilometers across three continents and two oceans, experiencing two sunsets and two sunrises, and was among the most tracked journeys on the FlightRadar24 website.

This milestone marks a crucial step before Qantas receives its first long-range A350-1000 aircraft in April, to be followed by 11 more jets dedicated to nonstop routes connecting Australia directly with destinations in the United States and Europe.

On the outbound leg last week, the test aircraft flew 17,000 kilometers from Toulouse to Melbourne in 19 hours and 12 minutes. The return journey followed the route the aircraft will take once it enters commercial service.

Qantas plans to launch nonstop flights between London and Sydney from October 2027, and later between Sydney and New York.

Currently, Singapore Airlines operates the world’s longest regularly scheduled commercial flight, covering 15,350 kilometers between Singapore and New York in over 18 hours, using a different model of the A350.