Australian carrier Qantas has completed a landmark test flight of its new Airbus A350-1000ULR (ultra long-range), landing in Melbourne on Friday after a nonstop 19-hour journey covering nearly 17,000km from Airbus's manufacturing facility in Toulouse, France. The aircraft, fitted with an extra 20,000-litre fuel tank to enable flights of up to 22 hours, is purpose-built for Qantas's "Project Sunrise" service — planned nonstop routes between Sydney and London and New York, currently targeted to begin in October 2027. The test drew significant public interest, with more than 67,000 people tracking the flight live on aviation site Flightradar24, making it the most-watched flight globally on the day.