From October 2027, the airline’s flagship Kangaroo Route between Sydney and London will operate non-stop for the first time, ending decades of stopovers in Singapore. The change forms the centrepiece of Project Sunrise, Qantas’ long-running plan to link Australia’s east coast directly with major global cities.
Travellers will save up to four hours compared with today’s one-stop journey and tickets for the non-stop service are scheduled to go on sale in February 2027.
The Kangaroo Route has connected Australia and the United Kingdom since 1947, when the journey took four days and required seven stops. Generations of Qantas aircraft, from Lockheed Constellations through Boeing 747s to the current Airbus A380s, have flown the route with at least one intermediate stop. The new non-stop service marks the first time passengers will fly direct from Sydney to London without leaving the aircraft.
Qantas will continue to offer a one-stop option via Singapore under the new flight numbers for those who prefer a break or want to connect through Changi. The flights will use a specially modified Airbus A350-1000ULR. An additional 20,000-litre rear centre fuel tank extends the aircraft’s range beyond 16,000 kilometres and allows it to remain airborne for up to 22 hours. Each of the 12 aircraft ordered by Qantas will carry 238 passengers across four cabins: six first class, 52 business, 40 premium economy and 140 economy seats.
The first aircraft is expected to arrive in April 2027 after delays linked to supply-chain issues. Sydney-New York non-stop flights are planned to follow, initially from mid-2028 once more of the fleet is in place.
Qantas is training more than 360 pilots and 1,200 cabin crew for the 12-aircraft fleet. That equates to roughly 30 pilots and 100 cabin crew per airframe, about double the ratio typical for conventional long-haul aircraft. The high numbers reflect the demands of 20-plus-hour sectors. More pilots are needed on board to manage fatigue, and longer mandatory rest periods between duties reduce how frequently any individual crew member can operate. Training is already underway on Australia’s first A350 simulator in Sydney and with British Airways in the United Kingdom. The initial group includes 40 existing Qantas A330 pilots converting to the A350 while still flying their current type.
For frequent flyers who have long associated QF1 with the Sydney-London journey, the change brings a clear choice: take the new non-stop flight or keep the Singapore stop under the renumbered service. The ultra-long-haul experience is expected to command a premium similar to the one Qantas has achieved on its Perth-London non-stop flights
For more information: https://www.qantasnewsroom.com.au/media-releases/qf1-is-going-non-stop
