Qantas reveals new first and business class cabins for ultra long-haul ‘Project Sunrise’ flights
As Qantas gears up for the 2025 launch of its ultra long-haul “Project Sunrise” flights, the airline is offering a sneak peek of what passengers in the plane’s front section will experience on the 19-hour record-breaking journeys.
2023-02-23 13:49:08 - VI News Staff
On Thursday, the airline revealed the first and business class cabin prototypes for the 12 Airbus A350s that will service the direct flights connecting Australia with New York and London.
Given the time passengers will spend in the air, enhancing comfort is a priority for the designers.
“Qantas has been the leader in opening up new long-haul flights for most of our history, and we’re bringing everything we’ve learned, both technically and in terms of passenger comfort, to Project Sunrise flying,” Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce said in a press statement.
In addition to working with designers and aviation specialists, the airline also enlisted the help of a team of scientists, including sleep researchers, from the University of Sydney’s Charles Perkins Centre.
The Project Sunrise A350s will seat only 238 passengers, a sharp drop from the usual 300-plus seat layout, to provide more space for fliers.
The layout includes six first class seats in a 1-1-1 configuration, 52 business class seats in 1-2-1, 40 premium economy seats in 2-4-2 and 140 economy seats in 3-3-3.
“We think our A350 cabins have the most sophisticated and thoughtful design of any airline, combining cutting-edge technology with sleep research to shape the look and feel for what is effectively a new era of travel,” said Joyce.