Qantas will launch its world-first non-stop services between London and Sydney from October 2027, the first time the Kangaroo Route has ever been flown without stops from Australia's east coast.

The announcement comes as the national carrier unveiled its first Airbus A350-1000ULR in Qantas livery at Airbus’ manufacturing facility in Toulouse, the result of years of development as part of Project Sunrise.

Qantas has been flying between Sydney and London since 1947, when the original Kangaroo Route took four days with seven stops in Darwin, Singapore, Calcutta, Karachi, Cairo, Castel Benito and Rome, on its way to the UK.

The new non-stop flights will cut up to four hours off the travel time compared to current one-stop services. The first Project Sunrise Sydney to London services will go on sale in February 2027.

The United Kingdom was the fourth largest visitor market for NSW in the year ending December 2025. There were 379,100 UK visitors during the period (up 16.8 per cent year-on-year), who stayed 9.5 million nights (up 28.8 per cent) and spent $1 billion during their trips (up 27.8 per cent).

Qantas Group CEO Vanessa Hudson said: “Qantas was built on the belief that Australia's distance from the rest of the world should never stand in the way. The pioneering spirit of generations of our people has forged that path ever since, and today is the most significant step in that mission in our 105-year history.

“Since we first flew the Kangaroo Route in 1947, where we stopped seven times on the way to London, every generation of aircraft has taken a stop out of the journey. Today, we're taking out the last one.

“We made a commitment in 2017 that Qantas would conquer the final frontier of long-haul aviation and connect Australia's east coast directly to London, something that has never before been possible. From October 2027, that promise becomes reality.”

Australian Minister for Trade and Tourism Senator Don Farrell said: “This is a significant milestone for aviation and tourism in both Australia and the UK and a demonstration of the strong friendship between our two nations.

“Australia is a world-class tourism destination and the new direct route launched by Qantas will help bring more people to our shores to experience the best we have to offer.”

In preparation for the aircraft’s arrival next year, Qantas pilots have commenced training on Australia’s first A350 simulator in Sydney and with British Airways in the UK. Over the coming months, some of its pilots will also fly with Cathay Pacific in Hong Kong.

Project Sunrise will eventually connect Australia’s east coast with other international destinations, with Sydney-New York confirmed as the next service to follow Sydney-London. Launch timing for these services will be announced next year.