Airbus sets record with 24-hour Melbourne-Toulouse non-stop flight

The aircraft covered more than 23,000 kilometres without refuelling before landing in southern France on Tuesday. (AFP pic)MELBOURNE: A specially configured Airbus A350 has set a new long-distance record by completing a 24-hour and 24-minute non-stop flight from Melbourne to Toulouse, the German Press Agency (dpa) reported.The aircraft covered more than 23,000 kilometres without refuelling before landing in southern France on Tuesday.The flight was conducted ahead of the planned delivery of the first A350-1000ULR to Australian airline Qantas, which is expected next year."To manage fatigue during the 20- to 23-hour flights, we implemented four-hour shifts for each pilot, but we rotated the crew every two hours," test pilot and captain Xavier Pepin said.This staggered approach facilitated handover and maintained "full situational awareness", he said.One Airbus test pilot was always seated in a pilot seat when a Qantas pilot was in the other seat to ensure mission safety, as Airbus held responsibility for the operation, Pepin said.The journey exceeded the previous endurance record for a demonstration flight – from Hong Kong to London in 2005 – by almost two hours. It remains unclear whether the achievement will be officially recognised by Guinness World Records.Qantas plans to launch the world's first scheduled non-stop flights from Sydney to London in October 2027, with direct services to New York to follow.

Depending on weather conditions, those commercial flights are expected to last between 19 and 21 hours.According to flight-tracking service Flightradar24, more than 3.6 million people followed the aircraft's progress live, making it one of the most-watched flights in aviation history.Qantas has ordered 12 specially modified Airbus A350-1000ULR aircraft for Project Sunrise. The ULR designation stands for Ultra Long Range.