Qantas will launch non-stop services between Sydney and New York from mid-2028, the first ever non-stop commercial service between Australia and the Big Apple, as part of Project Sunrise.
Tickets for the inaugural Sydney to New York service are set to go on sale from August 2027. The ground-breaking flights will cut more than three hours off the total travel time compared with current one-stop services today, connecting Australia's east coast to New York without a stop for the first time in history.
New York is the second Project Sunrise route to be confirmed, following the Sydney to London non-stop flights that begin in October 2027.
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.
The Project Sunrise flights will be operated by specially configured Airbus A350-1000ULR aircraft, 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 will take delivery of 12 aircraft in total, each configured with 238 seats across four cabins.
The first test aircraft is currently in the final stages of its flight test program, and recently completed a record-breaking non-stop 24 hour and 24 minute flight from Melbourne to Toulouse, a first for any commercial airliner in the world. The first aircraft is expected to be delivered to Qantas in April next year.[1]
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.[2]
Since 2018, nearly two million passengers have flown on Qantas' non-stop long-haul services from Perth to London, Rome and Paris, and its Melbourne to Dallas and Auckland to New York services, with these routes recording the highest customer satisfaction scores on the airline's international network.
Non-stop services between Sydney and New York from 2028 will significantly expand travel options for customers travelling between Australia and the United States.
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. 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. 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."
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.
[1] Aircraft delivery, on-sale and service commencement subject to regulatory approvals and aircraft certification.
[2] ABS US Visitor Arrivals Data from September 2026 and research conducted in May 2026 by an external research firm and commissioned by Qantas.
