It is all change on the Kangaroo Route.
From October 2027, QF1 and QF2 will fly Sydney to London non-stop for the first time as part of Project Sunrise, Qantas announced today.
The Kangaroo Route first began flying from Sydney to London in 1947, when the journey took four days and seven stops.
For almost 80 years, generations of Qantas aircraft, from the Lockheed Constellation to the Boeing 747 and Airbus A380, have brought Sydney and London closer together.
"Through it all, QF1 and QF2, our most iconic flight number pair, have long been associated with that journey and a key part of Qantas’ history," the airline said.
"In October 2027, that journey becomes non-stop with the launch of Project Sunrise, saving customers up to four hours in travel time compared to the existing service."
Project Sunrise flights will be operated by specially configured Airbus A350-1000ULR aircraft, fitted with an additional 20,000-litre fuel tank that enables the aircraft to fly more than 16,000 kilometres, and up to 22 hours non-stop.
Qantas will take delivery of 12 aircraft in total, each configured with 238 seats across four cabins. The first test aircraft is currently in the final stages of its flight test program and the first aircraft is expected to be delivered to Qantas in April next year.
Qantas’ existing Sydney to London via Singapore service will continue to operate with new flight numbers, QF5 and QF6, for customers who prefer a stopover.
The seasonal Qantas Perth-Rome services currently operating as QF5 and QF6 will move to QF105 and QF106.
Tickets for the direct Sydney-London service are scheduled to go on sale from February 2027.
