Qantas to launch first nonstop Sydney-New York service in mid-2028

Sydney-London nonstop planned for October 2027

Qantas Airways plans to launch nonstop passenger service between Sydney and New York in mid-2028, the carrier said Wednesday — the first direct commercial passenger route between the two cities, a route no carrier has previously operated nonstop. The nearly 10,000-mile flight is expected to last about 18 hours and cut more than three hours from Qantas’s current fastest Sydney-New York route, which takes more than 21 hours and includes a two-hour refueling stop in Auckland, New Zealand. Auckland sits two time zones closer to the U.S. than Sydney.

The Australian carrier is positioning the new service as part of a broader push into what it calls “ultra long-haul routes serviced by more fuel-efficient planes,” The Wall Street Journal reported. The strategy bets that newer aircraft will persuade customers to pay higher ticket prices for shorter overall travel times and “greater comfort on newer craft,” the WSJ said. That approach “should support margins and mitigate the impact of fuel-price shocks, such as the conflict-driven volatility that led to a 14% drop in profit across Qantas’s last full fiscal year,” the WSJ added.

Chief Executive Vanessa Hudson framed the planned route as part of the airline’s national identity. “Conquering the tyranny of distance has been part of who Qantas is,” Hudson said. “Flying these distances is only worth doing if our customers arrive feeling their best.”

The Sydney-New York service would follow Qantas’s scheduled October 2027 launch of nonstop Sydney-to-London flights, a 10,600-mile route of up to 22 hours. The Sydney-to-London service looks set to surpass Singapore Airlines’ 19-hour Singapore-to-New York service as the world’s longest direct commercial passenger flight.

Qantas already operates nonstop service from Perth, on Australia’s west coast, to London, a journey of about 9,000 miles. The carrier, nicknamed “The Flying Kangaroo” for the logo on its tail fin and elsewhere, has positioned both new routes around more fuel-efficient aircraft.