'It is a step change in aircraft design and a step change in propulsion. The Dubai airline has staked its future on the 777X, ordering 150, the largest single firm order in history. It's an 'absolute peach', said Emirates president Tim Clark of the aircraft. We’ll also be looking at how we can use it to improve our existing long-haul flights,” he added.The 777X has been said to be the result of the very best of the existing 777 plane, as favoured by the likes of British Airways et al, and the game-changing 787 Dreamliner, which has been praised as one of the most technologically advanced aircraft in history, garnishing plaudits from passengers on BA, Norwegian and Virgin Atlantic alike. “No airline has done this kind of dedicated research before and we’ll be using the results to help shape the cabin design, inflight service and crew roster patterns for Project Sunrise. Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce said “flying from the East Coast of Australia to London and New York is truly the final frontier in aviation, so we’re determined to do all the groundwork to get this right.

Scientists and medical experts from the Charles Perkins Centre will monitor sleep patterns, food and beverage consumption, lighting, physical movement and inflight entertainment to assess impact on health, wellbeing and body clock. The passengers – mostly Qantas employees – will be fitted with wearable technology and take part in specific experiences at varying stages of the roughly 19 hour flights. This will represent the first ever flight by a commercial airline direct from New York to Sydney, and only the second time a commercial airline has flown direct from London to Sydney.Įach flight will have a maximum of 40 people, including crew, in order to minimise weight and ensure the necessary fuel range. Rather than flying empty from Seattle, the aircraft will simulate two Project Sunrise routes – London and New York to Sydney. The three research flights will be operated by brand new 787-9s on re-routed delivery flights from Boeing. The flights form part of Project Sunrise – Qantas’ goal to operate regular, non-stop commercial flights from Australia’s east coast of to London and New York.

Qantas has announced three ultra-long-haul research flights to collect data about passenger and crew health and wellbeing.

777x routes qantas