Qantas plans 20-hour test flights ahead of ultra-long haul decision

Qantas will stage experimental 20-plus hour flights from London and New York before year end.

Qantas will be using its experimental flights to test passenger and crew comfort. Picture: Supplied

Qantas will stage a series of ultra-long haul “research flights” before the end of the year, using new Boeing 787-9s to fly non-stop from London and New York to Sydney.

Carrying no more than 40 people in order to keep weight down, the 20-hour plus flights will allow Qantas to finalise its business case for Project Sunrise, and examine crew rostering and rest, the company said on Thursday.

All those on board will be either Qantas employees, scientists or medical experts. They’ll be fitted with wearable technology devices to monitor sleep patterns, food and beverage consumption, and health and wellbeing.

Qantas announced plans for the flights as it delivered its full year profit results for 2019. Sluggish demand for travel and soaring fuel costs have made a dent in Qantas’s bottom line, with the airline group posting a 17 per cent drop in before tax profits to $1.3 billion.

Monash University researchers will work with pilots to record crew melatonin levels before, during and after the flight, and build up the best work and rest pattern for those operating such services.

Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said the flights would give medical experts the chance to do real-time research that would translate to health and wellbeing benefits.

“Ultra long-haul flying presents a lot of common sense questions about the comfort and wellbeing of passengers and crew,” Mr Joyce said.

“These flights are going to provide invaluable data to help answer them.”

The key would be minimising jet lag and creating an environment where customers were looking forward to a restful, enjoyable flight, Mr Joyce said.

“Flying non-stop 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,” said Mr Joyce.

“No airline has done this kind of dedicated research before and we’ll be using the results to help shape the cabin design, in-flight service and crew roster patterns for Project Sunrise.

“We’ll also be looking at how we can use it to improve our existing long-haul flights.”

Qantas is expected to make a decision by the end of the year on which aircraft it will buy for the ultra-long haul flights. The company says the 787-9s being used for the test flights were strictly for research purposes and not being considered for the services.

Those in the running include Airbus’s A350ULR and Boeing’s 777X - despite the latter facing delays in production.