Airbus Flies World's Longest-Range Jet as Toulouse Bets on Ultra-Long-Haul

Airbus has flown the world's longest-range airliner for the first time, sending the A350-1000ULR aloft from Toulouse in a milestone that underlines European aerospace's grip on the most demanding end of commercial aviation.

The aircraft, designated MSN 707, took off from Toulouse-Blagnac on 2 June and flew for three hours and 43 minutes, reaching just above 41,000 feet. A dedicated Airbus test crew ran general performance checks and trialled the jet's reworked fuel system, the company said.

Built for Qantas under its long-gestating Project Sunrise, the ULR variant is designed to connect Australia's east coast non-stop to London and New York for the first time, covering close to 10,000 nautical miles on sectors lasting up to 22 hours. The extra reach comes chiefly from a rear centre tank integrated into the airframe, adding roughly 1,000 nautical miles of range.

The flight opens a roughly two-month certification campaign that will also validate a lighter galley cooling system and cabin ventilation tuned for marathon sectors. By the end of April, the wider A350 family had attracted 1,579 orders from 68 customers, with more than 700 in service. Qantas has committed to 12 ULRs alongside 12 standard A350-1000s.

The achievement is shadowed by Airbus's persistent supply-chain strain. Qantas confirmed last month that its first delivery has slipped from late 2026 to April 2027, with cabin suppliers among the bottlenecks. That aircraft, the second ULR, is in advanced final assembly and due out of the Toulouse paint shop within days.

For Airbus the timing matters. With its narrowbody backlog stretching years and Boeing still rebuilding, the ULR cements a technological lead at the long-haul frontier. Qantas will name its inaugural route and launch timing later this month.