Qantas will train more than 360 pilots and 1,200 cabin crew to operate its 12 Airbus A350-1000ULRs, the aircraft built for its Project Sunrise non-stop flights12. The airline says both groups will be trained by the time the twelfth aircraft arrives1. Daily non-stop flights from Sydney to London are due to start in October 2027, followed by Sydney to New York from mid-2028134. The first aircraft is expected in April 202715.

Spread across the fleet, the more than 360 pilots and 1,200 cabin crew work out at roughly 30 pilots and 100 cabin crew per aircraft16. Each A350-1000ULR has 238 seats across four cabins and an additional 20,000-litre fuel tank, which allows it to fly more than 16,000 kilometres and stay in the air for up to 22 hours1.

Who is training first?

The first intake for Project Sunrise comes from the existing Qantas A330 fleet. Around 40 A330 pilots are training for the A350 while continuing to fly their current aircraft23. Training is taking place on Australia's first A350 simulator in Sydney and with British Airways in the UK13. When it announced the London route in June, Qantas also said that some of its pilots would fly with Cathay Pacific over the following months3. For background on how a conversion to a new aircraft type is structured, see our guide to how a type rating works.

Why does a 22-hour sector need so many pilots?

A sector of this length requires more pilots on board and longer rest periods afterwards than a conventional long-haul rotation6. For the A350-1000ULR, Airbus designed a new twin flight crew rest compartment with two separate sections, each with its own entrance, so that pilots can get in and out of their rest areas without disturbing one another7. Qantas has not yet published how many pilots it will roster on each Project Sunrise flight6.

The longest Airbus development flight, the return leg from Melbourne to Toulouse in July, which lasted 24 hours and 24 minutes, carried five pilots: three Airbus pilots and two Qantas captains who were already qualified on the A350 but new to the ULR variant71. Because the new flight crew rest compartment was filled with ventilation measuring equipment, the crew slept in the eight-berth cabin crew rest compartment at the rear of the aircraft instead7. How duties are split between the captain, first officer and relief pilots is explained in our article on captain, first officer and second officer roles.

What does Qantas ask of direct entry second officers?

On the long-haul side, new pilots join Qantas as second officers, a role that currently exists on the A380, A330 and 787-98. The minimum requirements on the Qantas careers site include an Australian ATPL, or an Australian CPL with all ATPL subjects, a multi-engine instrument rating and a current CASA Class 1 medical certificate, or eligibility to hold one8. Candidates must also hold Australian citizenship or permanent residency and have English language proficiency at level 68.

Qantas lists several ways to meet its flight time minimum, one of which is 500 hours in command of a powered fixed-wing aeroplane. Preference goes to candidates with 2,000 hours total time, 500 hours on multi-engine aircraft and multi-crew experience8. At the time of writing, Qantas is not accepting applications for pilot positions8. More about the airline can be found on our Qantas airline page, and pay scales are covered in our guide to Qantas pilot salaries.

Where does Qantas train new pilots from scratch?

For ab initio training, Qantas runs the Qantas Group Pilot Academy with Flight Training Adelaide at Wellcamp Airport in Toowoomba, Queensland9. Trainees complete the ATPL theory, a multi-engine command instrument rating and multi-crew cooperation training, and qualify for a CASA commercial pilot licence9. Applications for the course starting on 22 March 2027 close on 15 November 20269. Other options in the country are listed on our overview of flight schools in Australia.

How does the new long-haul pay deal fit in?

At the end of October, around 1,700 Qantas 787, A330 and A380 pilots backed a new agreement with a 25 per cent pay rise, 11.1 per cent of which comes by July 202710. Qantas said the agreement moves the airline one step closer to making Project Sunrise a reality10. We covered the vote in our report on the 25 per cent pay rise for Qantas long-haul pilots.