Qantas promises Perth the stunning A350-1000 on nonstop to London

Qantas is about to go from Boeing 787 Dreamliner to Airbus A350 dream machine on the Perth to London nonstop flight.

And at the formal order ceremony for 12 of the ultra-long-range Airbus A350-1000s in Sydney this week, Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce described it as the “most luxurious aircraft ever created”.

He added: “Our new economy class has the biggest seat pitch (leg room) of any we’ve ever, ever launched (in the modern era).”

Economy class also has a wellbeing zone between the premium economy and economy cabins for stretching, with built-in screens that will guide passengers on exercises.

The A350-1000 is a quantum leap forward in passenger comfort that has been years in the making, and Mr Joyce promised West Travel that the A350 would replace the 787 on the Perth route from 2026.

“We need the extra seats,” he said. Prior to COVID, the Perth to London flight was Qantas’ most popular route, with load factors of 95 per cent.

The ceremony in Sydney was the culmination of Project Sunrise, which was launched in 2017, when Qantas challenged both Boeing and Airbus to deliver the ultimate travel machine.

It is named after the world’s longest flight of up to 32 hours from Perth to Colombo in World War II, where passengers would see two sunrises.

While Boeing and Airbus worked to challenge the laws of aerodynamics, Qantas turned to research flights to see how passengers and crew would react to 19-hour flights.

It operated several from London to Sydney and New York to Sydney in late 2019, with key frequent flyers on board.

The verdict was a resounding yes from passengers.

On Qantas’ Perth-London non-stop, which returns this month, the current 787 carries 236 passengers. The A350 — the world’s most spacious and luxurious aircraft — will seat 238.

CLASSY CLASSES

The A350 cabin is roomier than the 787 being slightly wider. There will be six first class suites, 52 business suites, 40 premium economy seats and 140 economy seats.

• First class suites have a privacy door, separate bed and lounge chair, an individual wardrobe and a 32-inch (81.2cm) inflight entertainment screen.
• The 13 rows of business suites will be set in a 1-2-1 configuration, giving everyone direct aisle access.
• The five rows of premium economy seats will have a 40-inch (101.6cm) seat pitch well up from the 36-inch (91.44 cm) on the 787 and the seating will be in a 2-4-2 configuration.
• According to Qantas insiders, economy passengers will get 33-inch (83.82cm) seat pitch, rather than the normal 31 inches (79cm). The 15 rows of economy seats will be set in a 3-3-3 configuration. Qantas A350 economy seats will be 18 inches (45.7cm) wide — almost an inch (2.54cm) wider than those on the 787.

HOW THEY DID IT

The secret to the A350’s spectacular performance is the all-composite structure, which is far lighter and stronger than that of the aircraft it replaces.

Building the wing from composites also makes it more aerodynamic, and therefore fuel efficient, while the Rolls Royce engines are among the most economical in service.

Compared to the A380 super jumbo, the A350 uses about 40 per cent less fuel per passenger in a standard configuration.

Qantas’ A350 is the culmination of 102 years of flying by the world’s longest continually operating and most experienced airline. In an interesting twist, Qantas’ first aircraft were from an Airbus legacy company — Avro and de Havilland of the United Kingdom. Airbus UK builds all the wings for Airbus planes.

• Geoffrey Thomas flew to Sydney as a guest of Qantas. The airline has not seen or approved this story.