Most tracked flight in the world has just landed as the Airbus A350-1000ULR touches down in Toulouse marking extraordinary milestone

Flightradar24 and FlightAware fans have been tracking this Qantas Airbus A350-1000ULR flight like mad.

For quite some time, this was the most tracked flight in the world.

That’s because it was the longest flight in the world.

And now one aviation expert has added some food for thought about the future of these extra long haul flights.

Why this Qantas route was the most tracked flight in the world

Qantas, the flag carrier of Australia, is working on an incredibly ambitious route called Project Sunrise.

They call it that because a non-stop route from London to Sydney is long enough for passengers to witness two sunrises.

Depending on a few factors, the flight could last between 19 and 22 hours, making it the longest flight in the world and in history.

But the test flight did even better.

The test aircraft departed Toulouse for Melbourne on July 23, before setting off on its return journey, landing back in France after an astounding 24 hours and 24 minutes in the air.

According to Flightradar24, The Airbus A350-1000ULR aircraft also set a new world record for distance flown by a commercial aircraft after covering 12,460 nautical miles.

Will this actually work?

On paper, this sounds very exciting and revolutionary.

Even the layout will be unheard of.

Qantas Airbus A350-1000ULR will feature four cabin classes: Economy, Premium Economy, Business, First Class, and a common area called the Wellbeing Zone.

However, when aviation expert Robert Cullemore spoke with Supercar Blondie about the future of the industry, he raised a crucial point regarding ultra-long-haul routes.

When we asked him about the future of aviation, he confirmed ultra-long flights were almost upon us.

“For the vast majority of the aviation industry, we will see increases in fuel efficiency [and] you’ll see a lot of headline-grabbing direct routes thanks to these long-range aircraft, like the Airbus A350-1000ULR that’s going to be used by Qantas for ‘Project Sunrise’, connecting London and Sydney,” he told Supercar Blondie.

“Just how many direct routes are economically viable with durations of over 17 hours remains
to be seen,” he noted.

That’s a solid point because these fares will have to be significantly more expensive than a route with several stops, and the pool of would-be travelers will be smaller.

After the initial enthusiasm, considering how long this journey is, a lot of travelers might go back to ‘normal’ routes with layovers somewhere in the Middle East or maybe Türkiye for better comfort.

But it really depends on each person’s priority – not being trapped in a seat for 24 hours, or getting to your destination in record time.