On Monday 9 November, Qantas announced that its flagship QF1 and QF2 flight numbers will move to non-stop flights between Sydney and London from October 2027, dropping the stop in Singapore, according to Executive Traveller. The specific start date had not been published when the change was announced.
For travellers, the airline’s best-known flight number is going to a different kind of journey, one with no stop between the two cities.
The current Sydney-Singapore-London service, flown by the Airbus A380, becomes QF5/QF6 from 31 October 2027, Executive Traveller reported. Nine.com.au said that service is for customers who want a stopover.
There is a knock-on change as well. The seasonal Perth-Rome Boeing 787 service moves from QF5/QF6 to QF105/QF106, according to Executive Traveller.
The three changes, side by side:
- QF1/QF2: Sydney to London non-stop on the Airbus A350-1000ULR, from October 2027, with no start date given in the announcement.
- QF5/QF6: Sydney to London via Singapore on the A380, from 31 October 2027, for travellers who want a stopover.
- QF105/QF106: the seasonal Perth-Rome Boeing 787 service, which flies as QF5/QF6 until the change.
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The Aircraft Behind It
The non-stop flights will use the Airbus A350-1000ULR. Nine.com.au’s 9Travel editor, Kristine Tarbert, reported that the aircraft carries an extra 20,000-litre rear centre fuel tank and can fly up to 22 hours non-stop.
Qantas has 12 on order, Nine.com.au reported, and each will have 238 seats across four cabins, according to Travel Weekly.
Executive Traveller puts the Sydney-London flight at 18 to 20 hours, which sits inside the aircraft’s 22-hour range. Nine.com.au said going non-stop saves around four hours against the current one-stop journey.
The aircraft are running late. The first was scheduled for late 2026 but is now expected in April 2027 because of supply chain issues, Nine.com.au reported, and three aircraft are needed for a daily service.
Qantas said “the next four will follow in quick succession” once the first arrives, according to Nine.com.au.
A Flight Number With History
The route goes back a long way. The Kangaroo Route began in 1947, taking four days and seven stops, according to Nine.com.au.
QF1 has changed its path more than once, Executive Traveller reported. It flew Sydney-Bangkok-London, and later went via Singapore. From 2013 to 2018 it flew via Dubai under the Emirates partnership. From November 2021 it refuelled in Darwin, until Singapore returned as the stop in June 2022.
Every one of those routings included a stop. Travel Weekly’s report on the announcement describes the October 2027 flights as Sydney to London non-stop for the first time.
When Tickets Go on Sale
Tickets go on sale from February 2027, according to Nine.com.au. Until a start date is published, the only fixed date in the changeover is 31 October 2027, when the A380 service takes the QF5/QF6 numbers.
London is the first Project Sunrise route, and not the only one. Qantas Group chief executive Vanessa Hudson announced that first route in June, Nine.com.au reported, and the flight numbers are the latest detail to be settled.
New York is next in line. Qantas confirmed in September that non-stop Sydney-New York flights begin in 2028, with tickets from August 2027, according to Nine.com.au. Executive Traveller expects the QF3/QF4 numbers to go to that route.
For anyone planning a trip to London after the changeover, the choice will come down to time against a break in the journey. The non-stop flight saves around four hours, by Nine.com.au’s figure, while the QF5 service keeps the stop in Singapore.
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Sources: Executive Traveller, “Qantas hands QF1 to non-stop Sydney-London flights”, 9 November 2026 (https://www.executivetraveller.com/qantas-qf1-project-sunrise-sydney-london); Nine.com.au, “Huge change coming to popular Qantas flight route”, 9 November 2026 (https://www.nine.com.au/travel/huge-change-coming-to-popular-qantas-flight-route-20261109-p61ckj.html); Travel Weekly, “Qantas Project Sunrise first date set Sydney to London non-stop for the first time October 2027”, 9 November 2026 (https://travelweekly.com.au/qantas-project-sunrise-first-date-set-sydney-to-london-non-stop-for-the-first-time-october-2027/)
Photo: Adrian Pingstone, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
A Qantas Airbus A380, the type that flies the current QF1 via Singapore, climbing out of London Heathrow in April 2015.
