Airbus’ ‘Niche Plane’ Makes First Flight

Qantas will have to wait another 10 months before it takes delivery of the aircraft, but the A350-1000ULR for Project Sunrise has completed its maiden flight on June 2. With just 12 on order, this variant remains a niche aircraft on which Airbus will likely struggle to recoup the investments. The first -1000ULR with manufacturing number MSN707 took off from Toulouse Blagnac at 12.30 am sharp for a 3 hours 43 minutes test flight over Southwest France. Over the Gulf of Biscay off the coast of Bordeaux, the aircraft climbed to FL410 and flew several circuits before returning to Toulouse. MSN707 with registration F-WULR is fitted with special test equipment in the empty cabin that will be removed after the two-month certification period. The aircraft will then be modified and delivered to Qantas. The first 1000ULR to join the carrier will actually be the second airframe MSN814 that is currently in final assembly in Toulouse. Qantas confirmed media reports from Bloomberg that the first aircraft is due only in April 2027 instead of November 2026, citing supply chain issues as the reason for the delay. During the HY1 results earnings call in February, Qantas said it was expecting four A350-1000ULRs in Financial Year 2027, which starts in July. This was subject to regulatory approval of the cabin, which has been a showstopper for other airlines with new cabins. The airline will announce an updated flight schedule for the first services in June. [caption id="attachment_71400" align="aligncenter" width="736"] Qantas First A350 3 scaled[/caption] Bespoke The A350-1000ULR is a bespoke aircraft for Qantas, as no other airline has ordered this variant yet. It forms the foundation of Project Sunrise, the initiative to operate non-stop flights of up to 22 hours from Sydney and Melbourne to London, Paris, and New York. To make this possible, Airbus installed a 21.000 litre Rear Centre Tank (RCT) in the cargo hold aft of the centre wing box, similar to the RCT on the A321XLR. This brings the total fuel capacity to 185.076 litres or 48.893 gallons. Maximum Take-Off Weight has been increased from 319 tons for the standard -1000 to 322 tons for the -1000ULR. The -1000ULR sacrifices payload for range. Whereas the standard aircraft is offered with a three-class interior with 372 seats, Qantas has opted for a four-class cabin with 238 seats: six First Class suites, 52 Business Class suites, 40 Premium Economy and 140 Economy seats. ULR flights with the Boeing 787-9 between Perth and Europe have learned that additional space is essential. The A350 will get a dedicated Wellbeing Zone where passengers can walk, do some physical exercises, or grab a drink or snack. Cabin lighting includes 12 “moods” to help passengers get through different time zones between Australia, Europe, and the US. Incremental earnings From the start, Qantas has said that it expects to make good money with Project Sunrise flights. Once all 12 -1000ULRs have entered service, the airline counts on $400 million in annual incremental earnings. This comes from new flying revenues on ultra-long-haul markets, but also from the redeployment of aircraft to other routes, and from incremental freight capacity. ULR flights with the Boeing 787-9 confirm that the business case is valid: RASKs are 22 percent higher on ULR flights compared to indirect services to London Heathrow via Singapore. This makes them the most profitable routes within the network. Premium cabin RASK outperformed standard Economy class, confirming that passengers are willing to pay extra for a premium product. For Airbus, it might be more difficult to make the A350-1000ULR commercially profitable. The airframer has not disclosed how much it has invested in this variant, the fourth passenger version of the A350 after the standard A350-900, the -900ULR, and the standard -1000. At the end of April, Airbus had orders for 1.111 -900s and -900ULRs, 367 -1000s and -1000ULRs, and 101 A350Fs. [caption id="attachment_192455" align="aligncenter" width="721"] Qantas Airbus A350-1000ULR MSN707[/caption] While the Boeing 787 has outscored the A350 on recent orders, Airbus is confident about demand for its biggest widebody family. In last year’s Global Market Forecast, the OEM guided demand for 9.170 “typical widebodies”, including 970 new freighters. The GMF will be updated next month ahead of the Farnborough Airshow. As reported here recently, demand is not the issue: output is. Airbus is struggling to keep production up of its widebodies, especially the A350. The integration of Spirit AeroSystems has proved to be more costly and complex than anticipated, which makes it quite a challenge to meet a rate of 12 aircraft per month in 2028. Airbus will be keen to find more customers for the A350-1000ULR, but so far, no other airline has shown an interest. Singapore Airlines, operator of the -900ULR, has opted for the Boeing 777-9 as its long-haul flagship. Maybe we are watching a waiting game, and do other airlines want to see how the -1000ULR fares at Qantas. But with no other continent as far Down Under as Australia, it seems unlikely that Project Sunrise will get a competing product from another airline. Until this happens, the A350-1000ULR is destined to be a niche airplane.

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