Qantas’ Project Sunrise Airbus A350-1000ULR has completed its maiden test flight, marking a significant milestone ahead of the launch of commercial flights that will connect Australia’s east coast to London and New York, non-stop, for the first time ever. Operated by two Airbus Flight Test Pilots, three Flight Test Engineers and one Ground Test Engineer, Qantas’ ultra long range A350 took off for the first time from Toulouse yesterday afternoon local time and flew for three hours 43 minutes over France and the French Atlantic Coast.

United Airlines today announced the next phase of its long-term plan to win brand loyal customers and further differentiate itself from competitors. The airline expects to take delivery of more than 250 new aircraft by April 2028 – the most by any airline in a two-year period – to further modernize its fleet, add new aircraft variants, create a new experience for transcontinental travelers and introduce new onboard products for every customer, reinforcing United’s position as a leading premium airline.

American Airlines is “suite-ening” its premium cross-country experience with the debut of the Airbus A321XLR in its fleet. Customers can purchase tickets now on aa.com and via American’s mobile app for the inaugural flight — Flight 3 on Dec. 18 from New York (JFK) to Los Angeles (LAX). “Designed for long journeys with comfort and style at the forefront, American is thrilled to be the first U.S. airline to operate the A321XLR,” said Heather Garboden, American’s Chief Customer Officer. “Whether customers are traveling from coast to coast or across the ocean, American’s newest aircraft demonstrates our commitment to providing a premium travel experience.”

Etihad Airways has taken delivery of its first Airbus A321LR (long range) following yesterday’s ceremony at the Airbus Finkenwerder site, marking a transformational milestone in the airline’s fleet expansion strategy.

Riyadh Air, the new national carrier of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, recently signed a deal at the 55th Edition of Paris Air Show at Le Bourget with Rolls-Royce for 100 Trent XWB-97 engines to power its fleet of up to 50 Airbus A350-1000 an order that was announced yesterday.  The agreement was signed by Adam Boukadida, Chief Financial Officer of Riyadh Air and Ewen McDonald, Chief Customer Officer at Rolls Royce in the presence of Tony Douglas, Riyadh Air’s Chief Executive Officer and Rob Watson, President of Civil Aerospace at Rolls-Royce.

Paris Air Show 202516-22 June 2025 Paris Le Bourget For over a century, the Paris Air Show has been a key event for the aerospace and defence industry, bringing together stakeholders from around the world. This year, we’re also thrilled to welcome you on the public days for an engaging and memorable experience.