Qantas QF1 Huge Change Coming: Popular Sydney-London Route Goes Non-Stop
Qantas will make its QF1 and QF2 Sydney-London flights non-stop from October 2027, dropping the Singapore stopover. Tickets go on sale from February 2027, and the one-stop service will continue under new flight numbers QF5 and QF6.
Qantas will scrap the Singapore stopover on its QF1 and QF2 flights between Sydney and London from October 2027, a huge change coming to one of the world's most popular long-haul routes. The airline says the flights will run non-stop as part of Project Sunrise, its plan for ultra-long-distance services.
Tickets for the direct Sydney-London service are scheduled to go on sale from February 2027.
What changes for travelers
Passengers can expect to save around four hours compared with current one-stop journeys between Sydney and the UK, according to the announcement.
Customers who still want a stopover will not lose the option. The existing Sydney-London service via Singapore will continue under new flight numbers, QF5 and QF6.
The aircraft
The non-stop flights will use a specially designed Airbus A350-1000ULR. Qantas says the jet can fly for up to 22 hours without landing, thanks to an extra 20,000-litre rear centre fuel tank and enhanced systems.
The first of 12 new aircraft had been scheduled for delivery in late 2026. Supply chain issues have delayed it, and it is not expected to arrive until April 2027.
Qantas said "the next four will follow in quick succession". Three aircraft are needed to run a daily non-stop service on the routes.
Eight decades of the Kangaroo Route
The Kangaroo Route began flying from Sydney to London in 1947. Back then, the journey took four days and seven stops.
Generations of Qantas aircraft have flown it, from the Lockheed Constellation to the Boeing 747 and Airbus A380.
Qantas Group chief executive Vanessa Hudson announced the first Project Sunrise route in June. "Qantas was built on the belief that Australia's distance from the rest of the world should never stand in the way," she said at the time.
Hudson called the project "the most significant step in that mission in our 105-year history."
New York next
In September, Qantas confirmed it would launch non-stop flights to New York in 2028. Those flights will cut more than three hours off total travel time compared with current one-stop services.
Tickets for the inaugural Sydney-New York service are set to go on sale from August 2027.
