Qantas Reveals the Final Project Sunrise Cabin — the Most Spacious A350 in the Sky

Qantas has pulled the covers off the cabin that will fly the world's longest scheduled flights. On 18 June the airline confirmed the full layout of its Airbus A350-1000ULR — the aircraft built for non-stop Sydney–London and, later, Sydney–New York — and the headline number is the one travellers will care about most: just 238 seats.

That makes it the lowest-density A350-1000 flying anywhere in the world. A typical A350-1000 carries somewhere north of 300 passengers; Qantas has deliberately stripped that back to give everyone on board more room for what will be a 20-hour-plus day in the air. Whichever cabin you end up in, you're getting more space than the same class on almost any other long-haul jet.

Here's everything that was confirmed — and what it actually means if you're the one booking a seat.

The layout: four cabins, 238 seats

More than 70% of seats on the aircraft offer a pitch of 33 inches or more — the most generous of any Qantas aircraft. For an airline whose long-haul economy has long sat at a tighter standard, that's a meaningful shift, and it's the stat the airline is leaning on hardest.

First: six suites, hotel-room ambitions

The pointy end gets six enclosed First suites in a 1-1-1 arrangement. Each has an 80-inch flat bed and a separate reclining armchair — so you can sit and dine without losing your made-up bed — plus a flexible work-and-dining space sized for one or two people, a full-length wardrobe and multiple storage areas. A neat detail: a digital panel on the outside of each suite lets you signal the crew discreetly without opening up.

Business: the sliding door finally arrives

This is the change frequent flyers have been waiting for. The 52 Business suites sit in a 1-2-1 configuration, and for the first time a Qantas Business seat gets a sliding privacy door. The centre pairs also get an adjustable divider, so couples can open things up and solo travellers can close themselves off. Each suite has an 80-inch bed and a large dining and work surface.

In practice that brings Qantas Business into line with the Qatar Qsuite / Virgin Atlantic Retreat Suite generation of doored business seats — a gap that had become increasingly obvious on the airline's older long-haul fleet.

Premium Economy: rebuilt for the long game

Premium Economy is a 40-seat cabin in a 2-4-2 layout, redesigned specifically for ultra-long-haul. Every seat gets a leg-and-calf cradle for full leg support, an 8-inch winged privacy headrest and a bespoke multi-layer memory-foam cushion. Qantas says it'll carry the most generous Premium Economy pitch of any aircraft in its fleet — which, on a flight this long, is the cabin a lot of savvy travellers will be eyeing as the value sweet spot.

Economy — and the new Economy Plus tier

The 140-seat Economy cabin keeps the standard 3-3-3 layout but with more pitch than any current Qantas aircraft, memory-foam seats and breathable woven-wool upholstery in an earthy "Pilbara Red."

The genuinely new thing here is Qantas Economy Plus. Positioned at the front of the economy cabin, these 42 seats come with a 34-inch pitch, priority boarding and priority access to overhead lockers. It's an extra-legroom economy product in the mould of extra-legroom tiers elsewhere — think a paid step up from standard economy rather than a separate cabin. Qantas Platinum One and Platinum frequent flyers get it complimentary at booking; Gold members from 24 hours before departure, subject to availability.

The part no other airline has: a Wellbeing Zone

The standout feature isn't a seat at all. Qantas will be the first airline in the world with a purpose-built inflight Wellbeing Zone, sitting between Premium Economy and Economy. It has sculpted wall panels with integrated stretch handles, a guided on-screen movement program, a hydration station and premium refreshments. On a flight where getting up and moving genuinely matters, a dedicated space to do it is a real differentiator.

Backing it up is circadian-rhythm lighting — 12 scenes including "Sunrise," "Sunset" and "Awake," developed with the University of Sydney's Charles Perkins Centre to help reset your body clock — and the airline's biggest inflight entertainment upgrade in over a decade, including a journey planner synced to lighting and meals, 15 languages, Bluetooth audio across all cabins, and a "watch together" feature for up to four people.

When can you actually fly it?

This is the catch. The cabin is locked in, but you won't be flying it imminently. Qantas says the first aircraft — named Vega — will be delivered in April 2027, with daily non-stop Sydney–London service starting October 2027 and tickets going on sale in February 2027. Sydney–New York is confirmed as the next route to follow, with timing to be announced next year.

It's worth being honest that the timeline has moved more than once over Project Sunrise's long gestation, so the late-2027 launch is the date to plan around for now.

The bottom line

Qantas has built the most spacious A350-1000 in the world and wrapped it around a single idea: arriving at the other end feeling human. The sliding-door Business suite closes a long-standing competitive gap, the Wellbeing Zone is a genuine first, and Economy Plus gives long-haul economy flyers a lever to pull that they didn't have before. The seats are settled — now it's just a long wait to the runway.

We'll be tracking the seat-by-seat detail for the A350-1000ULR as it firms up ahead of bookings opening in 2027.

Cabin specifications reflect Qantas's official Project Sunrise reveal of 18 June 2026. Layouts, pitch and availability can change ahead of service entry; always confirm the live seat map when booking opens.