{"id":193775,"date":"2026-11-09T12:00:48","date_gmt":"2026-11-09T12:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/?p=193775"},"modified":"2026-11-10T11:40:23","modified_gmt":"2026-11-10T11:40:23","slug":"world-distance-record-airbus-a350-1000ulr-completes-historic-23155-kilometer-flight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/en\/2026\/11\/world-distance-record-airbus-a350-1000ulr-completes-historic-23155-kilometer-flight.html","title":{"rendered":"World Distance Record: Airbus A350-1000ULR Completes Historic 23,155-Kilometer Flight"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The Airbus <strong>A350-1000 Ultra-Long Range <\/strong>has officially broken the <strong>Guinness World Record <\/strong>for the longest nonstop flight by distance operated by a commercial airliner. The nonstop mission covered 12,503 nautical miles (23,155 kilometers) in 24 hours and 24 minutes, validating the technical capabilities required for Qantas Airways&#8217; upcoming nonstop Project Sunrise routes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Operational Parameters of the Melbourne\u2013Toulouse Mission<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Operating under the callsign AIB35LR by the European airframer&#8217;s test flight crew, the aircraft departed Melbourne, Australia, at 17:27 local time on Monday, July 27, touching down in Toulouse, France, at 09:51 local time on Tuesday, July 28.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Technical flight trajectory data was independently verified by the International Aeronautical Federation (IAF) and flight tracking platform Flightradar24.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Throughout the crossing, the aircraft flew an intercontinental navigation profile:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Departure routing:<\/strong> Takeoff from Melbourne, overflight of Sydney, and entry into the Pacific Ocean on a northeast heading toward Los Angeles, crossing the International Date Line.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Continental and Atlantic segment:<\/strong> Transcontinental transit across North America and the North Atlantic toward the United Kingdom, overflying London before beginning descent into the Toulouse airfield.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Flight conditions:<\/strong> The aircraft crossed three continents and two oceans; crew members on board witnessed two sunsets and two sunrises during a single flight leg.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>A total of 13 personnel were on board, comprising three Airbus experimental test pilots, two Qantas Airways pilots, five Airbus flight test engineers (FTEs), two manufacturer design engineers, and an official IAF observer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>\u2192 <a href=\"https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/en\/2026\/10\/airbus-projects-demand-for-2720-new-passenger-aircraft-in-latin-america-over-next-20-years.html\">Airbus Projects Demand for 2,720 New Passenger Aircraft in Latin America Over Next 20 Years<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Extreme Simulation for Project Sunrise<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The flight was conducted as part of the A350-1000ULR flight test and certification campaign. Contractual and engineering specifications required at least one sector to be operated with a block time of 23 hours (measured from gate push-back at origin to chocks-on at destination) to evaluate the aircraft under the most demanding scheduled commercial profile planned for the type.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The ULR variant will enable the Australian flag carrier to link Sydney with London and New York nonstop for the first time in commercial aviation history. These routes will span distances approaching 10,000 nautical miles with sector flight times reaching up to 22 hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Core Structural Modification<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The extended range capability relies on a targeted modification to the airframe&#8217;s fuel system architecture:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Rear Centre Tank:<\/strong> Structural integration of an additional fuel tank within the fuselage, designated as the Rear Centre Tank (RCT).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Range extension:<\/strong> This technical enhancement optimizes overall payload-range performance, providing an additional 1,000 nautical miles of operational range over the standard production airframe.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Lars Wagner, CEO of Commercial Aircraft at Airbus, highlighted the operational milestone:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;This achievement reflects the pioneering and innovative spirit that is part of our DNA at Airbus. In responding to the challenge set by Qantas, our teams came together to extend the reach of the A350-1000 in an efficient and economically viable way to take on the world&#8217;s longest commercial flights. By flying 12,503 nautical miles nonstop, we have conclusively proven the aircraft&#8217;s capability to deliver on its mission. And the world record was the icing on the cake!&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Wagner further underscored the industrial collaboration underpinning the program:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Huge congratulations to all the Airbus teams who brought this project to life. Our thanks go to Qantas for an outstanding partnership that has seen us push boundaries together, to Rolls-Royce for their unwavering support, and to all our industry partners who contributed to this exciting moment in aviation history. Today, we can proudly state that the A350 stands as the undisputed leader in ultra-long-haul operations!&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A350 Family Overview and Delivery Schedule<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The A350-1000ULR represents the fourth passenger variant in the A350 widebody family, joining the baseline A350-900, the A350-900ULR, and the standard A350-1000. The portfolio will soon expand to include the dedicated A350F freighter variant, with its maiden flight slated for later this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As of late October 2026, the global A350 program logged 1,628 firm orders from 70 airline customers, with more than 740 airframes in active revenue service across 42 operators worldwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For Project Sunrise, Qantas holds a firm commitment for 12 A350-1000ULR aircraft. Delivery of the first production unit is scheduled for this coming April, leading into commercial revenue service on the Sydney\u2013London route toward the end of that year. In parallel, the carrier maintains an additional order for 12 baseline A350-1000s earmarked for fleet renewal across its core long-haul network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"related-topics\">Related Topics<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-post-grid uagb-post-grid  uagb-post__image-position-top uagb-post__image-enabled uagb-block-9e302684     uagb-post__items uagb-post__columns-2 is-grid uagb-post__columns-tablet-2 uagb-post__columns-mobile-1 uagb-post__equal-height\" data-total=\"222\" style=\"\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<article class=\"uagb-post__inner-wrap\">\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class='uagb-post__image'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/en\/2026\/11\/boeing-commercial-airplanes-plans-5-workforce-cut-amid-output-ramp-up-headwinds.html\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"bookmark noopener noreferrer\" class='uagb-image-ratio-inherit'><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Boeing-737-MAX-Factory.webp\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Boeing-737-MAX-Factory.webp 800w, https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Boeing-737-MAX-Factory-300x150.webp 300w, https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Boeing-737-MAX-Factory-768x384.webp 768w, https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Boeing-737-MAX-Factory-380x190.webp 380w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"uagb-post__title uagb-post__text\">\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/en\/2026\/11\/boeing-commercial-airplanes-plans-5-workforce-cut-amid-output-ramp-up-headwinds.html\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"bookmark noopener noreferrer\">Boeing Commercial Airplanes Plans 5% Workforce Cut Amid Output Ramp-Up Headwinds<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class='uagb-post__text uagb-post-grid-byline'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"uagb-post__text uagb-post__cta wp-block-button\">\n\t\t\t\t<a class=\"wp-block-button__link uagb-text-link\" style=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/en\/2026\/11\/boeing-commercial-airplanes-plans-5-workforce-cut-amid-output-ramp-up-headwinds.html\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"bookmark noopener noreferrer\">Read More<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<article class=\"uagb-post__inner-wrap\">\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class='uagb-post__image'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/en\/2026\/11\/avolon-finalizes-record-order-for-140-boeing-737-10-jets.html\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"bookmark noopener noreferrer\" class='uagb-image-ratio-inherit'><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/avolon-Boeing-737-10.webp\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/avolon-Boeing-737-10.webp 800w, https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/avolon-Boeing-737-10-300x150.webp 300w, https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/avolon-Boeing-737-10-768x384.webp 768w, https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/avolon-Boeing-737-10-380x190.webp 380w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"uagb-post__title uagb-post__text\">\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/en\/2026\/11\/avolon-finalizes-record-order-for-140-boeing-737-10-jets.html\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"bookmark noopener noreferrer\">Avolon Finalizes Record Order for 140 Boeing 737-10 Jets<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class='uagb-post__text uagb-post-grid-byline'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"uagb-post__text uagb-post__cta wp-block-button\">\n\t\t\t\t<a class=\"wp-block-button__link uagb-text-link\" style=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/en\/2026\/11\/avolon-finalizes-record-order-for-140-boeing-737-10-jets.html\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"bookmark noopener noreferrer\">Read More<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<article class=\"uagb-post__inner-wrap\">\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class='uagb-post__image'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/en\/2026\/11\/boeing-777-9-lands-in-bolivia-for-demanding-high-altitude-certification-tests.html\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"bookmark noopener noreferrer\" class='uagb-image-ratio-inherit'><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/Boeing-777-9-en-Bolivia.webp\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/Boeing-777-9-en-Bolivia.webp 800w, https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/Boeing-777-9-en-Bolivia-300x150.webp 300w, https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/Boeing-777-9-en-Bolivia-768x384.webp 768w, https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/Boeing-777-9-en-Bolivia-380x190.webp 380w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"uagb-post__title uagb-post__text\">\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/en\/2026\/11\/boeing-777-9-lands-in-bolivia-for-demanding-high-altitude-certification-tests.html\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"bookmark noopener noreferrer\">Boeing 777-9 Lands in Bolivia for Demanding High-Altitude Certification Tests<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class='uagb-post__text uagb-post-grid-byline'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"uagb-post__text uagb-post__cta wp-block-button\">\n\t\t\t\t<a class=\"wp-block-button__link uagb-text-link\" style=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/en\/2026\/11\/boeing-777-9-lands-in-bolivia-for-demanding-high-altitude-certification-tests.html\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"bookmark noopener noreferrer\">Read More<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<article class=\"uagb-post__inner-wrap\">\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class='uagb-post__image'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/en\/2026\/11\/boeing-projects-chinas-commercial-fleet-will-more-than-double-surpassing-9800-aircraft-over-the-next-20-years.html\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"bookmark noopener noreferrer\" class='uagb-image-ratio-inherit'><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Aviones-Boeing.webp\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Aviones-Boeing.webp 800w, https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Aviones-Boeing-300x150.webp 300w, https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Aviones-Boeing-768x384.webp 768w, https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Aviones-Boeing-380x190.webp 380w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"uagb-post__title uagb-post__text\">\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/en\/2026\/11\/boeing-projects-chinas-commercial-fleet-will-more-than-double-surpassing-9800-aircraft-over-the-next-20-years.html\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"bookmark noopener noreferrer\">Boeing Projects China\u2019s Commercial Fleet Will More Than Double, Surpassing 9,800 Aircraft Over the Next 20 Years<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class='uagb-post__text uagb-post-grid-byline'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"uagb-post__text uagb-post__cta wp-block-button\">\n\t\t\t\t<a class=\"wp-block-button__link uagb-text-link\" style=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/en\/2026\/11\/boeing-projects-chinas-commercial-fleet-will-more-than-double-surpassing-9800-aircraft-over-the-next-20-years.html\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"bookmark noopener noreferrer\">Read More<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Airbus A350-1000 Ultra-Long Range has officially broken the Guinness World Record for the longest nonstop flight by&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":4312,"featured_media":193752,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[190],"tags":[217,222],"class_list":{"0":"post-193775","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-the-industry","8":"tag-airbus-2","9":"tag-aircraft"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/El-Airbus-A350-1000ULR-rompe-record-de-distancia.webp",800,400,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/El-Airbus-A350-1000ULR-rompe-record-de-distancia-150x150.webp",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/El-Airbus-A350-1000ULR-rompe-record-de-distancia-300x150.webp",300,150,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/El-Airbus-A350-1000ULR-rompe-record-de-distancia-768x384.webp",768,384,true],"large":["https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/El-Airbus-A350-1000ULR-rompe-record-de-distancia.webp",800,400,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/El-Airbus-A350-1000ULR-rompe-record-de-distancia.webp",800,400,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/El-Airbus-A350-1000ULR-rompe-record-de-distancia.webp",800,400,false],"pk-small":["https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/El-Airbus-A350-1000ULR-rompe-record-de-distancia-80x80.webp",80,80,true],"pk-thumbnail":["https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/El-Airbus-A350-1000ULR-rompe-record-de-distancia-300x225.webp",300,225,true],"csco-small":["https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/El-Airbus-A350-1000ULR-rompe-record-de-distancia-80x80.webp",80,80,true],"csco-intermediate":["https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/El-Airbus-A350-1000ULR-rompe-record-de-distancia-200x140.webp",200,140,true],"csco-thumbnail":["https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/El-Airbus-A350-1000ULR-rompe-record-de-distancia-380x220.webp",380,220,true],"csco-thumbnail-alternative":["https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/El-Airbus-A350-1000ULR-rompe-record-de-distancia-300x180.webp",300,180,true],"csco-thumbnail-uncropped":["https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/El-Airbus-A350-1000ULR-rompe-record-de-distancia-380x190.webp",380,190,true],"csco-medium":["https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/El-Airbus-A350-1000ULR-rompe-record-de-distancia.webp",800,400,false],"csco-medium-alternative":["https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/El-Airbus-A350-1000ULR-rompe-record-de-distancia-560x336.webp",560,336,true],"csco-medium-uncropped":["https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/El-Airbus-A350-1000ULR-rompe-record-de-distancia.webp",800,400,false],"csco-large":["https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/El-Airbus-A350-1000ULR-rompe-record-de-distancia.webp",800,400,false],"csco-large-uncropped":["https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/El-Airbus-A350-1000ULR-rompe-record-de-distancia.webp",800,400,false],"csco-extra-large":["https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/El-Airbus-A350-1000ULR-rompe-record-de-distancia.webp",800,400,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Dergam Mousa","author_link":"https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/en\/author\/dmousa"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"The Airbus A350-1000 Ultra-Long Range has officially broken the Guinness World Record for the longest nonstop flight by&hellip;","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/193775","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4312"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=193775"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/193775\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":193776,"href":"https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/193775\/revisions\/193776"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/193752"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=193775"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=193775"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=193775"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}