The Airbus A350-1000ULR flight test programme has reached another significant milestone following the successful completion of its longest point-to-point mission to date. Flight test aircraft MSN707 recently completed an ultra-long-range journey between Toulouse and Melbourne before returning to France several days later, demonstrating the aircraft’s capabilities ahead of future long-haul operations.
The return leg, which landed in Toulouse on 28 July, covered 12,460 nautical miles in 24 hours and 24 minutes, making it the longest flight ever undertaken by the aircraft. Airbus Test Pilot Xavier Pepin captained the return journey, while the outbound flight from Toulouse to Melbourne was led by Test Pilot Vincent Sibelle, who also oversaw the overall mission.
The development flight formed part of the ongoing testing programme for the A350-1000ULR, rather than certification activities, with engineers and flight crews focusing on validating the aircraft’s performance during flights lasting up to 23 hours of block time. This is intended to support the operational requirements of Qantas’ planned Project Sunrise services, which are expected to operate for around 21 hours and 40 minutes.
Powered by two Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 engines, MSN707 first took to the skies in June and is equipped with specialised flight test instrumentation. The mission centred on assessing several key systems, including cabin air conditioning performance and fuel management, with particular attention given to the aircraft’s additional Rear Centre Tank (RCT), which provides an extra 20,900 litres of fuel capacity and enables flights approaching 10,000 nautical miles.
“Whilst we have already demonstrated much of the RCT’s functionality earlier in the flight test campaign, we finalised some remaining test points in these long-range flights. So we filled this tank to validate all necessary parameters during the mission, making this, along with cabin comfort, the primary focus of our testing. During the first leg, we also made use of the time (the flight lasted approximately 20 hours) to stabilise various air temperature settings to ensure accurate measurements. So while much of the testing goals were already tackled on the outward leg, the second leg addressed any backup test points that were not completed during the first leg.”
– Xavier Pepin, Airbus Test Pilot.
Alongside the aircraft’s fuel systems, engineers also evaluated the new twin Flight Crew Rest Compartment (FCRC), a feature developed specifically for the A350-1000ULR. The compartment is divided into two separate rest areas with individual entrances, allowing pilots to enter and leave without disturbing one another during airline operations. However, because the module was heavily instrumented to measure air conditioning performance during these flights, the crew instead used the aircraft’s eight-berth cabin crew rest area.
“To manage fatigue during the 20- to 23-hour flights, we implemented four-hour shifts for each pilot, but we rotated the crew every two hours. This staggered approach ensures that when a new pilot joins the cockpit, they overlap for two hours with the outgoing pilot. This facilitates a thorough handover and maintains full situational awareness. Additionally, for the second flight leg, at least one Airbus test pilot was always seated in a pilot seat when a Qantas pilot was in the other seat to ensure mission safety, as Airbus holds responsibility for the operation. We have applied this same structure to manage rest periods effectively.”
– Xavier Pepin.
Notably, because the aircraft’s new ‘twin’ flight crew rest compartments were ‘occupied’ with ventilation measurement equipment, the crew used instead the eight-berth cabin crew rest compartment at the rear of the aircraft for their sleep.
“In the rear cabin crew rest compartment, since there weren’t any passengers or cabin crew, we could quickly return to the cockpit or FTE station at any time if needed,” notes Xavier.
The outbound flight carried four Airbus pilots, alongside two test-flight engineers and three flight-test engineers responsible for monitoring aircraft systems, fuel usage and cabin testing. For the return journey, two Qantas pilots, Captain Andrew Coull and Captain David Summergreene, joined the crew for their first experience flying the A350-1000ULR, having already qualified on the standard A350.
“We have organised a schedule to allow a Qantas pilot to take the controls at specific times. These pilots are already qualified on the A350, and this mission provided them with their first experience with the -1000ULR variant.”
The return routing also differed from the outbound leg. After departing Melbourne, the aircraft crossed the Pacific towards Los Angeles before continuing across North America, crossing the Atlantic south of Greenland, then flying over the UK before returning to southern France. According to Pepin, the more northerly Atlantic routing was selected to avoid potential air traffic management complications associated with published airline tracks.
The mission also provided an opportunity for Airbus and Qantas crews to work closely together during one of the most demanding flight test campaigns undertaken by the aircraft.
“We really enjoyed and appreciated exchanging knowledge and addressing their questions during our ultra-long-range voyage together.”
– Xavier Pepin.
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