Qantas has confirmed direct Sydney to New York flights will take off from mid-2028 as the carrier’s second ‘Project Sunrise’ route.

The flights, on sale from August 2027, will cut more than three hours off the total travel time compared with current one-stop services today and will be the first ever non-stop commercial services between Australia and the Big Apple.

Services will be operated by brand new, specially modified Airbus A350-1000 ultra-long-range aircraft which have been fitted with an additional 20,000-litre fuel tank that enables the aircraft to fly more than 16,000 kilometres and up to 22 hours non-stop.

Qantas Group CEO, Vanessa Hudson, said adding New York to Project Sunrise was a defining moment for Australia and the US.

“Conquering the tyranny of distance has been part of who Qantas is from the very beginning,” she said.

“Reaching New York non-stop completes a vision we set out many years ago, and it’s a moment of enormous pride for the thousands of our people who have been working hard to make Project Sunrise a reality.

“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 [and] 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,” she said.

Qantas first flew to New York in 1958, as part of its inaugural round-the-world service, reaching the biggest city in the US from Sydney via Fiji, Honolulu and San Francisco.

Today the airline operates a daily one-stop service between Sydney and New York via Auckland.

Hudson said 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 the airline.

In preparation for the aircraft’s arrival, Qantas pilots have commenced 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.