Engineers have long been working on aircraft that can make longer flights, the first stop on the way being one that can make the 20-hour flight halfway around the world from Sydney to London.
Now, this international airline believes it has a plane that can achieve the impossible.
Airbus
Manufacturers have succeeded in their goal, just a year after Qantas CEO Alan Joyce challenged Boeing and Airbus to an engineering battle, to build a plane capable of making that flight. ¡°We¡¯re now comfortable that we think we have vehicles that could do it,¡± Joyce said in an interview with Bloomberg.
Project Sunrise, as it¡¯s called, involves tweaking an aircraft so that it can fly 300 passengers as well as their luggage farther than any ever before. In addition to that load, the plane would also need to be able to carry enough fuel to have spare in case of unexpected headwinds and emergencies or landing delays. Project Sunrise will first check if the London to Sydney route is economically feasible, after which Qantas intends to start direct connections from major cities in the North and South America, Europe and Africa to Australia.
Of course, you couldn¡¯t possibly expect passengers to just sit in a single spot for 20 hours, no matter how comfortable you make the seat. That¡¯s why Qantas is dreaming up a lush flying hotel, complete with sleeping bunks, child-care facilities, and perhaps even a mini gym.
¡°We¡¯re challenging ourselves to think outside the box,¡± Joyce said. ¡°Would you have the space used for other activities ¡ª exercise, bar, creche, sleeping areas and berths? Boeing and Airbus have been actually quite creative in coming up with ideas.¡± As part of Project Sunrise, Qantas is pitting the Airbus A350 against the Boeing¡¯s 777X and met with executives from both in Sydney. Joyce reportedly plans to make an order from one of the two by next year, but he claims they¡¯re right now dead even in the race.
It¡¯s not by a mile the only airline eyeing these ultra-long distance flights, Singapore Airlines is also restarting its non-stop flights to New York In october, thanks to the Airbus A350-900, covering the distance in 19 hours. However, Joyce believes he¡¯ll be able to snatch the crown for longest flight distance by 2022.
So if you take a long flight four years from now, you could actually use the down time to get in a quick workout and a shower instead of cramping your neck trying to force yourself to take a nap.