QANTAS IS preparing to undertake historic ultra-long-haul flights as it continues to work on Project Sunrise and achieve arguably the ultimate in long-haul air travel: flying non-stop from Australia's eastern coast to London and New York. In its latest full-year results, Qantas Chief Executive Officer Alan Joyce said the carrier has now received "best and final offers" from both Airbus and Boeing. Detailed evaluation of their responses is underway. Airbus already offers an Ultra Long Range (ULR) subvariant of the A350-900 with 9,700 nautical miles (18,000km) range compared to the standard jet's 8,100 nautical miles (15,000km) capability, the extra range coming from a higher maximum take-off weight of 280,000kg (620,0001b) and increased fuel capacity of 165,000 litres (44,000 US gal) Singapore Airlines is the subvanant's sole operator, using seven examples for direct services between Singapore and destinations in the US.
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