Qantas plans to replace Airbus A380s with Airbus A350s on key international routes

The introduction of the A350 will lead to a reduction in capacity on these routes. The current A380 accommodates up to 485 passengers across all classes, while the A350 will seat 238. However, Qantas expects that direct flights from Sydney to London will be popular due to shorter travel times.

The move also marks the first time that nonstop services will connect Australia's East Coast with Europe and America's West Coast. While Qantas already operates daily A380 flights between Sydney and London via Singapore, the A350 is expected to eventually operate both one-stop and direct itineraries from Sydney—and later Melbourne—to London.

Alongside replacing its A380s, Qantas plans to renew its long-haul fleet by retiring older Airbus A330s. The airline has orders for 12 standard Airbus A350-1000s and 12 ultra-long-range variants (A350-1000ULR), as well as new Boeing 787s expected in 2028. The higher-density versions of the A350 replacing the A330s will not offer first class but will include business, premium economy, and economy cabins.

Project Sunrise remains a key initiative for Qantas. Announced in 2017, Project Sunrise aims to launch non-stop services between Sydney and destinations such as London or New York City using the Airbus A350-1000. Although delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic—when direct flights temporarily operated from Darwin—the project is still moving forward.

In recent years Qantas has expanded its network with direct services from Perth International Airport to European destinations like London Heathrow and Paris Charles De Gaulle Airports. Seasonal services have also been added between Perth and Rome Fiumicino Airport.

Simple Flying contacted Qantas for further comment but had not received a response at publication time.