The Qantas’ A350-1000ULR aircraft is on its way

Qantas' first Airbus A350-1000ULR has embarked on its inaugural long-endurance test flight, departing Toulouse-Blagnac Airport (TLS/LFBO) for a non-stop journey to Melbourne Airport (MEL/YMML). The milestone flight marks another significant step towards the airline's ultra-long-haul future.

The Project Sunrise A350-1000ULR, currently registered as F-WULR (MSN 707), departed the Airbus facility shortly after 07:30, local time, climbing to 35,000 feet, according to Flightradar24.

The A350 is due to land in Melbourne today around 10.30am.

In a social media post before the flight began, Airbus wrote: “From summer to winter in a single hop! As part of our flight test campaign, our test crew is taking the #A350-1000ULR from Toulouse to Melbourne NON-STOP for the first time.”

I'm heading to Melbourne this morning to witness the arrival of this history-making aircraft. Keep an eye on this page over the next few days for photos from today's trip to Melbourne.