Qantas crew members standing in front of a Qantas Airbus A350 at the Project Sunrise reveal in June 2026

Qantas QF1 Goes Non-Stop: Project Sunrise Takes the Famous Number

by Connor Kerr | Nov 9, 2026 | Mondo dell'aviazione, Notizia | 0 comments

In Qantas’s world, a flight number can carry as much history as an aircraft. QF1 has meant Sydney to London for generations of Australians, on Constellations, 747s and A380s, always with at least one stop on the way. From October 2027, it will not stop at all.

On Monday 9 November (Australian time), Qantas confirmed that its flagship QF1 and QF2 flight numbers will move to the non-stop Sydney-London service it is launching under Project Sunrise. The announcement was reported by outlets including Nine, Travel Weekly, Karryon, Stuff and Reuters.

Informazioni rapide

Compagnia aerea: Qantas
Change: QF1/QF2 move to the non-stop Sydney-London Project Sunrise service
Start: October 2027; tickets on sale from February 2027
Stopover option: Sydney-London via Singapore continues as QF5/QF6; Perth-Rome becomes QF105/QF106
Aeromobili: Airbus A350-1000ULR: 12 ordered, 238 seats in four cabins
Resistenza: More than 16,000 km and up to 22 hours non-stop, per Qantas
Time saved: Up to four hours versus the one-stop service
Annunciato: Monday 9 November 2026 (Australian time)

A reshuffle of famous numbers

The change is a small game of musical chairs. QF1 and QF2 go to the new non-stop flights. The existing Sydney-London service via Singapore, which currently carries QF1 and QF2, will keep flying for passengers who want a stopover, but under the numbers QF5 and QF6.

Those numbers are already taken, by Qantas’s seasonal Perth-Rome flights. They will become QF105 and QF106. According to Qantas, the non-stop flight will save customers up to four hours compared with the existing one-stop journey, and tickets are scheduled to go on sale from February 2027.

Qantas Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation VH-EAK on the ground at London Heathrow after arriving from Australia in 1955 — The Kangaroo Route in the propeller era: Qantas Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation VH-EAK at London Heathrow after arriving from Australia, 4 June 1955. Photo: RuthAS / CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Choosing the Qantas QF1 number is a statement. The airline could have given its record-breaking flight a fresh code. Instead it handed the newest service the flight number pair it calls its most iconic, the one tied to the route that defined Qantas internationally.

Eighty years of taking out stops

Qantas first flew the full Kangaroo Route to London in 1947 with Lockheed Constellations. The airline says the trip then took four days and seven stops; Wikipedia’s account of the first service lists stops including Darwin, Singapore, Calcutta, Karachi and Cairo, with passengers staying overnight along the way.

Each new generation of aircraft shaved off stops. Qantas Boeing 707 jets arrived on the route in 1959, and by April 1960 the fastest Sydney-London trip was down to 34 and a half hours, still with eight stops. Boeing 747s followed from 1971, and in October 1988 Qantas introduced a one-stop Sydney-London service with 747-300s.

The following year a brand-new 747-400, City of Canberra, flew London to Sydney non-stop in just over 20 hours to set a distance record, but only with special fuel and no passengers or cargo. A380s took over in 2009, the stop moved to Dubai from 2013 and back to Singapore in 2018, and that March Qantas opened non-stop Perth-London flights with Boeing 787s. Sydney, on the far side of the continent, was still one stop too far.

“Every generation of aircraft has taken a stop out of the journey. Today, we’re taking out the last one.”

Vanessa Hudson — Qantas Group CEO, announcing London as the first Project Sunrise destination, June 2026 (via Karryon)

Project Sunrise is the final step in that progression. The first non-stop service is due to depart in the Kangaroo Route’s 80th anniversary year.

Airbus footage of the first flight of the A350-1000ULR, the aircraft built for Qantas Project Sunrise.

The jet that makes it possible

The flights will be operated by Airbus A350-1000ULRs, specially configured with an additional 20,000-litre fuel tank. According to Qantas, that lets the aircraft fly more than 16,000 kilometres and stay airborne for up to 22 hours. Qantas has ordered 12, each with 238 seats across four cabins.

Delivery has slipped. Nine reported that the first aircraft had been scheduled for late 2026, but supply chain problems pushed it back; Qantas now says the first test aircraft is in the final stages of its flight test programme, with delivery expected in April 2027. Nine also reported that three aircraft are needed to run a daily non-stop service.

Qantas Airbus A380 VH-OQE climbing away from London Heathrow with its landing gear retracting — The current generation: a Qantas Airbus A380, the type that has flown the one-stop Sydney-London service via Singapore, departs London Heathrow in 2015. Photo: Adrian Pingstone / public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

London is only the start. In September, Qantas confirmed that non-stop flights between Sydney and New York will follow in 2028, with Nine reporting that tickets for the inaugural service are set to go on sale from August 2027.

“Qantas was built on the belief that Australia’s distance from the rest of the world should never stand in the way.”

Vanessa Hudson — Qantas Group CEO, June 2026 (via Nine)

For almost 80 years, QF1 has been the flight that got Australians to London eventually. From October 2027 it is meant to get them there in one go, and the number on the boarding pass will be the same one their grandparents flew.

Sources: Nine, Travel Weekly, Karryon, Stuff, Reuters, Wikipedia (Kangaroo Route)

Domande frequenti

Will Qantas QF1 fly non-stop from Sydney to London?

Yes. Qantas confirmed on 9 November 2026 that its QF1 and QF2 flight numbers will move to the non-stop Sydney-London Project Sunrise service from October 2027. Tickets for the direct flights are scheduled to go on sale from February 2027.

What happens to the Qantas Sydney-London flight via Singapore?

The one-stop Sydney-London service via Singapore will continue for passengers who want a stopover, but it will be renumbered QF5 and QF6 from October 2027. The seasonal Perth-Rome flights that currently use QF5 and QF6 will move to QF105 and QF106.

What aircraft will fly Qantas Project Sunrise?

Project Sunrise flights will be operated by the Airbus A350-1000ULR, fitted with an additional 20,000-litre fuel tank. Qantas says it can fly more than 16,000 kilometres and up to 22 hours non-stop. Qantas has ordered 12, each with 238 seats across four cabins.

How much time will the non-stop Qantas Sydney-London flight save?

According to Qantas, the non-stop Project Sunrise flight between Sydney and London will save customers up to four hours of travel time compared with the existing one-stop service through Singapore.

When will Qantas receive its first A350-1000ULR?

Qantas expects the first A350-1000ULR to be delivered in April 2027. Nine reported that the first aircraft had originally been scheduled for late 2026 but was delayed by supply chain issues. Qantas says the first test aircraft is in the final stages of its flight test programme.

When did Qantas first fly the Kangaroo Route to London?

Qantas first flew the full Kangaroo Route between Sydney and London in 1947, using Lockheed Constellations. Qantas says the journey then took four days and seven stops. From October 2027, Project Sunrise is due to make the trip non-stop in the route’s 80th anniversary year.