Listen up, aviation aficionados and keen travellers – one of Qantas’ highly anticipated Airbus A350-1000 jets is touching down in Sydney soon, and you could hop on board for a maiden voyage to the Land of the Long White Cloud.
The Qantas fleet of “Project Sunrise” Airbus A350-1000 jets will have the capability of connecting Australian travellers to faraway destinations like New York and London on one continuous flight.
While the non-stop flights won’t officially be up and running until mid-2027, one of the jets will begin stretching its wings with some Trans-Tasman trips, including the three-hour trip from Sydney to Auckland.
Qantas CEO Vanessa Hudson told Executive Traveller the A350 is slated to start flying from Sydney to New Zealand in an effort to give pilots and cabin crew an opportunity to get to know the flashy new jet system.
“We’ll be doing lots of training with our pilots and our cabin crew,” said Hudson.
“So to do that, we will have that first aircraft probably flying on the Tasman to New Zealand, where it gives us a little bit of time to stretch its legs, but not too far.”
The A350 will touch down in Australia sometime in 2026, and shortly thereafter punters will be able to book a seat on the lush new aircraft.
The aircraft will be decked out with all the trimmings including six private first-class suites, 52 business class suites and some new-look premium economy seats complete with extra legroom and improved back support.
While the exact start date for those luxe NZ flights has not been specified, it's anticipated that these services will begin in late 2026 or early 2027.
Looks like you’ll be saying Kia Ora after arriving in NZ in style.
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