Boarding a plane, sleeping, having breakfast, working, and then sleeping again — all without landing. On July 24, Airbus will conduct the most impressive test flight of the year, Bild reports.

The new Airbus A350-1000ULR is set to make a nonstop flight from Toulouse to Melbourne, Airbus representatives confirmed to Executive Traveller. The route, stretching nearly 17,000 kilometers and lasting about 22 hours, will be a major test for Australian airline Qantas’s multibillion-dollar project called Sunrise.

This flight will answer the question of whether a commercial airliner can remain in the air for nearly a full day without intermediate landings. Qantas has been pursuing this ambition since 2017: to organize direct flights from Australia to Europe and North America without refueling, transfers, or stopovers along the way. If everything goes according to plan, then starting in October 2027, passengers will for the first time be able to fly nonstop from Sydney to London or New York.

To operate these flights, the ordered A350-1000ULR aircraft require a number of key modifications: an additional 20,000-liter fuel tank will be installed in the rear section of the aircraft, and the fuel system and the onboard galley cooling system will also be upgraded. The new A350 modification must receive certification from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency before it can take to the skies.