Qantas Shares Rise After Airline Confirms History Breaking Project  

Shares of Australian airline Qantas increased on Thursday after the announcement of a launch date for non-stop flights between London and Sydney. Its shares increased 1% to $10.8 on Thursday from $9.98 on Wednesday.

Qantas announced launch date for Project Sunrise 

Qantas said its non-stop routes on non-stop Project Sunrise flights from Sydney to London aren't entering service until October 2027. The service will be the first-ever non-stop commercial flight between Australia's east coast and the UK.

The airline explained the Sydney to London route first started in 1947 and took four days, but had seven refuelling stops along the way. The new journey will be less than 22 hours, using the new Airbus A350-1000ULR planes.

The flights are part of Qantas' $15 billion fleet renewal program. The airline will take delivery of twelve Airbus A350-1000ULR outfitted with 238 seats among four cabins. The date Airbus originally scheduled for the delivery of the aircraft slipped from December to April, although Qantas predicted the first Sydney-London would operate within six months of receiving the aircraft. Tickets for the flights will be available in February.

Sydney-New York Flights to Follow

Qantas chief executive Vanessa Hudson said it was the best thing in the airline's 105-year history. 

Australia saw a dream of connecting East Coast directly to London as far in 2017, a goal it would achieve in October 2027. The latter, she said, is "designed from the ground-up for ultra long-haul," and includes features to improve the passenger experience as well as reduce jetlag.

The next Project Sunrise route will be non-stop Sydney-New York flights with timing to be announced next year, the airline also confirmed. Qantas shares are now up 19% in a month, driven by lower oil prices since Thursday's gain.

Source: Mootly fools

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