Qantas has a pretty good picture of how it will make the Project Sunrise flights work for them and generate good profits and margins. The ultra-long-haul flights to the UK and the US with the Airbus A350-1000 will be launched once the first of twelve aircraft is delivered in late 2025. The Australian carrier thinks it will be a hugely successful project, CEO Alan Joyce and CFO Vanessa Hudson told media during a roundtable in Istanbul on the sidelines of the IATA AGM. Premium market key driver behind Qantas’ Project Sunrise success.
During its Investor Day last week, Qantas said that once all A350s are in service in FY30, Project Sunrise flights will generate A$400 million in incremental profits. While London Heathrow, New York, and Los Angeles have been mentioned as the destinations, Joyce said that the carrier is looking at other options.
Active as a journalist since 1987, with a background in newspapers, magazines, and a regional news station, Richard has been covering commercial aviation on a freelance basis since late 2016.
Richard is contributing to AirInsight since December 2018. He also writes for Airliner World, Aviation News, Piloot & Vliegtuig, and Luchtvaartnieuws Magazine. Twitter: @rschuur_aero.
