Project Sunrise has been in the news again with Qantas updating us on their plans to start non-stop flights from Sydney to London and New York. With the first A350-1000 scheduled for delivery in late 2026 it is anticipated that the first Project Sunrise route will start after the third aircraft arrives in early 2027. This will give Qantas time to overcome typical entry into service challenges associated with any new aircraft type and generate sufficient scheduling redundancy.
The Sydney-London route is the most intriguing given the unique operational constraints that slots and curfews generate at both Sydney and London Heathrow. Amongst all the fanfare of Project Sunrise this is an interesting challenge that hasn’t received much attention! Let’s consider the implications in more detail and have a look at how Qantas might design the schedules.