Qantas has landed one of the longest flights to date in a commercial aircraft, with a direct trip from Melbourne to Toulouse that took over 24 hours.
The flight-test aircraft, which is a variant of an Airbus A350, underwent a series of tests in June to ensure it could complete the journey. Once fully deployed, it will be able to travel a distance of almost 10,000 nautical miles, enabling non-stop flights between Sydney, New York and London for the first time. This is made possible primarily by the integration into the aircraft structure of an additional rear-centre tank that increases its range by roughly 1,000 nautical miles.
The aircraft also features a new galley air-cooling system with lighter, more efficient refrigeration units designed specifically for extended flights, as well as modifications to the cabin’s ventilation and temperature control systems.
On July 23, the aircraft embarked on its longest point-to-point flight from Toulouse direct to Melbourne in Australia. Then a few...