Project Sunrise: What QF1 Means for Sydney–London Flights

Qantas plans to use its familiar QF1 and QF2 flight numbers for nonstop flights between Sydney and London under Project Sunrise. The airline expects the service to start in October 2027. It also plans to keep flying between the two cities via Singapore under the new numbers QF5 and QF6. If you have always associated QF1 with a Singapore stop, the itinerary will be a better guide than the number alone. Qantas announcement

Which flight stops in Singapore?

The announcement assigns a pair of numbers to each itinerary. QF1 and QF2 will identify the planned nonstop service between Sydney and London. QF5 and QF6 will identify the service through Singapore. The pairs cover both directions, so look at the origin, destination and stops when comparing the two. Qantas announcement

Flight numbers can stay familiar even when the route changes. Executive Traveller traces QF1 through previous stops in Bangkok, Dubai and Singapore. The same principle applies to QF5 and QF6, which currently identify a seasonal Perth–Rome service. Qantas says that service will move to QF105 and QF106. The cities listed beside the number tell you which itinerary it describes on your travel date. Executive Traveller Qantas announcement

When can you book the nonstop?

Qantas gives February 2027 as the planned start of ticket sales and October 2027 as the planned start of flying. Those dates answer different questions. The earlier one tells you when the airline expects to start taking bookings. The later one tells you when the aircraft is expected to begin carrying passengers on this route. Executive Traveller reports that a specific start day for the nonstop has yet to be published. Qantas announcement Executive Traveller

If your plans straddle October, check the stops on the itinerary for your exact date before relying on the new flight numbers. The month-level announcement does not establish that the nonstop will operate on every date that month.

How does removing the stop change the journey?

Qantas says its Airbus A350-1000ULR aircraft will operate the nonstop and estimates a saving of up to four hours compared with the current service. That is a comparison between itineraries, so the useful number on a booking screen will be the total elapsed time. On a trip across time zones, subtracting the local departure clock time from the local arrival clock time can give the wrong answer. Qantas announcement

The two itineraries also divide the journey differently. On the nonstop, the trip between Sydney and London is one flight segment. On the Singapore routing, it is two. Once the new schedule appears, the stops and elapsed time will let you compare the options even if a familiar flight number has moved.

Last updated Nov 9, 2026. Suggest a correction ↗