Qantas’ Project Sunrise delayed by four months on EU supply issues
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The news: The Airbus A350-1000ULR ordered by Qantas Airways has been delayed again in the latest series of setbacks and the third since Qantas confirmed the order in 2022, after putting it on hold in 2020.
The context: The custom-made aircraft, featuring an additional 20,000 litre fuel tank, was originally scheduled to arrive by the end of 2026, however it is now expected in April 2027 after Airbus pushed back the delivery date of the first model by four months, as reported by The Australian and the AFR.
Airbus stated that the setback was “largely due to the impact of supply chain issues”, according to The Australian, which continue to disrupt the European manufacturer’s entire A350 production schedule.
Qantas has ordered 12 of the A350-1000ULRs models to operate non-stop services linking Australia’s east coast with major US and European cities under Project Sunrise.
The airline confirmed to The Australian that it will need at a minimum of three A350-1000s to officially launch these ultra-long haul routes.
The sources: Qantas, The Australian, AFR
