Qantas to test 20-hour direct flights to Australia

SYDNEY - Qantas will conduct 'Project Sunrise,' to test if passengers can endure a 20-hour direct flight to Australia, it was announced.

Qantas tests 20-hour non-stop flight

Qantas announced they are testing a 20-hour non-stop flight to Sydney.

The three research flights will set the skies from October to December on the airline's new Boeing 787-9s, also called 'Dreamliners' with non-stop flights from New York and London to Sydney.

The test flights will have a maximum of 40 people on board, including the flight crew with the intention to keep the weight as low as possible with the needed fuel range.

“No airline has done this kind of dedicated research before and we’ll be using the results to help shape the cabin design, inflight service and crew roster patterns for Project Sunrise. We’ll also be looking at how we can use it to improve our existing long-haul flights,” said Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce.

Tickets for the research flights will not be available to the public and mainly airline employees will take part in the study.