Qantas has confirmed a future fleet of Airbus aircraft in its recent order of 12 A350-1000s, 20 A220s and 20 A321XLRs.

The A350-1000 was selected by Qantas following an evaluation known as Project Sunrise. The aircraft will allow the carrier to operate the world’s longest commercial flights including linking Sydney and Melbourne with London and New York non-stop for the first time ever. The A350-1000 is powered by the latest generation Trent XWB engines from Rolls-Royce. The premium layout aircraft will also be used on other international services.

Qantas’ Project Winton evaluation has picked the A220 and A321XLR for the single-aisle category. Both aircraft will be powered by Pratt & Whitney GTF engines. The aircraft will be used on domestic services across the country, which can extend to over four hours, making it the backbone of Qantas’ domestic fleet for the next 20 years. The A321XLR allows Qantas to open up new direct routes for flights from Australia to South East Asia.

Alan Joyce, Qantas Group CEO shares that “the new types of aircraft make new things possible for the airline where travel is crucial in a country like Australia. The A350 and Project Sunrise will make any city just one flight away from Australia.

This news was announced at a ceremony in Sydney attended by Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce and Airbus Chief Commercial Officer and Head of Airbus International, Christian Scherer. This agreement is in addition to the existing order for 109 A320neo Family aircraft, which includes the A321XLR for the Qantas Group low-cost subsidiary Jetstar.

“Qantas is one of the world’s iconic airlines, with a visionary spirit from its inception over 100 years ago. We are honoured by the confidence that Qantas is placing in Airbus and look forward to delivering to the Group one of the world’s most modern, efficient and sustainable fleets. This decision by Qantas underscores the position of the A350 as the reference long range widebody aircraft.”

Christian Scherer, Airbus Chief Commercial Officer and Head of Airbus International