Qantas will launch non-stop flights between Sydney and New York in mid-2028, cutting more than three hours from the fastest journey currently available between the Australian city and the US metropolis.
The service will take about 18 hours, compared with existing options that include a stopover in Auckland. Tickets are expected to go on sale from August 2027.
The route is part of Qantas’ expanded Project Sunrise plans, which also include non-stop flights from Sydney to London from October 2027.
Flights to New York will be operated by specially configured Airbus A350-1000ULR aircraft capable of travelling more than 16,000km without refuelling. Qantas plans to take delivery of 12 aircraft for the ultra-long-haul programme.
Each aircraft will have 238 seats across four cabins. More than 360 Qantas pilots and 1,200 cabin crew are due to be trained to operate the Project Sunrise fleet, with the first aircraft expected to arrive in April next year.
The airline’s plans follow a Project Sunrise test flight which completed a 24-hour and 24-minute journey from Melbourne to Toulouse.
Qantas Group chief executive Vanessa Hudson said the New York service marked the completion of a long-held ambition for the airline.
“Conquering the tyranny of distance has been part of who Qantas is from the very beginning,” she said.
“Reaching New York non-stop completes a vision we set out many years ago, and it’s a moment of enormous pride for the thousands of our people who have been working hard to make Project Sunrise a reality.”
Qantas first connected Sydney and New York in 1958, although the journey required multiple stops.
Ms Hudson said the new service would alter the way Australians travelled to the United States.
“From 2028, our customers will be able to board in Sydney and arrive in New York about 18 hours later without stopping once, cutting about three hours off the current fastest travel time,” she said. “That changes what’s possible for travel between our two countries.”
