AUSTRALIA'S largest airline has selected an Airbus aircraft as the preferred model for its ultra long-haul non-stop research flight programme.
After detailed evaluation of the Boeing 777X and Airbus A350, Qantas has selected the A350-1000 as the preferred aircraft if the programme, named Sunrise, proceeds.
No orders have been placed but Qantas will work closely with Airbus to prepare contract terms for up to 12 aircraft ahead of a final decision by the Qantas Board.
The Australian aviation giants wants to be able to operate regular, non-stop commercial flights from the east coast of Australia to London and New York, and said today that it will now make a “final go/no go decision” in March 2020 on whether to operate the flights.
This aircraft uses the Rolls Royce Trent XWB engine, which has a strong reliability record after being in service with airlines for more than two years. Airbus will add an additional fuel tank and slightly increase the maximum take-off weight to deliver the performance required for Sunrise routes.
Airbus has agreed to extend the deadline to confirm delivery slots from February 2020 to March 2020. This provides additional time to negotiate an industrial agreement without impacting the planned start date of Project Sunrise flights in the first half of calendar 2023.
The last of three Project Sunrise research flights (New York to Sydney) will be conducted on 17 December. Once complete, Qantas will have almost 60 hours of ‘Sunrise flying’ experience and thousands of data points on crew and passenger wellbeing.
Christian Scherer, Airbus chief commercial officer, said: “Many thanks Qantas for selecting the A350-1000 for Project Sunrise.
"We look forward to working together to make non-stop services between cities such as Sydney and London a reality.”
Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce said: “The A350 is a fantastic aircraft and the deal on the table with Airbus gives us the best possible combination of commercial terms, fuel efficiency, operating cost and customer experience.
“The aircraft and engine combination is next generation technology but it’s thoroughly proven after more than two years in service. This is the right choice for the Sunrise missions and it also has the right economics to do other long haul routes if we want it to.
“Airbus has given us an extra month to lock in an aircraft order without impacting our planned start date, which means we can spend more time on hopefully reaching a deal with our pilots.
“Can I thank both Airbus and Boeing for the tremendous effort they have put into Project Sunrise. It was a tough choice between two very capable aircraft, made even harder by innovation from both manufacturers to improve on what they had already spent years designing.”
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