Airbus said its A350-1000ULR (Ultra-Long Range) has officially broken the Guinness World Record for the longest flight by distance by a commercial airliner. The record was based on aircraft data independently validated by the International Aeronautical Federation and flightradar24.
The Airbus-operated flight departed Melbourne, Australia on July 27 and landed in Toulouse, France on July 28 after covering a distance of 12,503 nautical miles (approximately 14,388 miles), with a flight time of 24 hours and 24 minutes.
The mission was undertaken as part of the flight test campaign for the A350-1000ULR, which is being developed for Qantas Airways under Project Sunrise. This included a requirement for Airbus to operate one sector with a block time of 23 hours (from push-back at departure to chocks-on at arrival) to simulate the very longest commercial operations that will be possible with the aircraft.
After take-off from Melbourne the aircraft flew over Sydney before heading out over the Pacific on a north-easterly routing towards Los Angeles, crossing the international date line en route. It then flew across the North American continent and over the Atlantic before heading south towards the UK, flying over London and on to Toulouse. As the aircraft crossed three continents and two oceans, the crew witnessed two sunsets and two sunrises.
Airbus
A total of 13 people were on board the aircraft. These included a flight crew of three Airbus flight test pilots, two pilots from Qantas and five Airbus flight test engineers. Two Airbus design engineers were also on board, plus a representative of the International Aeronautical Federation.
"This achievement reflects the pioneering and innovative spirit that is part of our DNA at Airbus. In responding to the challenge laid down by Qantas, our teams came together to extend the range of the A350-1000 in an efficient and economically viable way to undertake the world's longest ever commercial flights,” said Lars Wagner, CEO of Commercial Aircraft at Airbus, in a statement. “Flying 12,503 nautical miles non-stop, we have fully proven the aircraft's capability to fulfill its mission. And the world record was the icing on the cake!”
The A350-1000ULR will enable Qantas Airways to operate non-stop flights between Sydney and London and New York for the first time ever - a distance of almost 10,000 nautical miles, with flight times of up to 22 hours. This is made possible primarily by the integration into the aircraft structure of an additional rear center tank (RCT), enhancing the aircraft performance and increasing the range of the aircraft by 1,000 nautical miles.
The A350-1000ULR is the fourth passenger variant of the A350 Family, joining the A350-900, A350-900ULR and the A350-1000.
