Summary Qantas' Project Sunrise will introduce the longest flights in the world, flying from Australia to Europe and the US. Regulations need adjustments to handle pilot duty times on flights lasting 20+ hours. Qantas trials for Project Sunrise indicate cooperation with CASA to manage pilot fatigue during extended flights.
In 2017, the Australian flag carrier Qantas announced a groundbreaking plan to fly from the East Coast of Australia to Europe and New York. Referred to as "Project Sunrise ," the flights from Sydney and Melbourne to London and New York will take 20+ hours, and when they come into operation, they will become the longest in the world. Nearly 16 or 17-hour flights are fairly common and generally made possible with long-range and ultra-long-range aircraft, including the Boeing 777-200LR and Airbus A350ULR.
However, operating flights that last almost the entire day comes with its challenges. One such challenge is managing pilot duty times during flights. Current regulations allow only 18 hours of maximum duty for long-haul operations.
The project sunrise will require changing current Flight Duty Period (FDP) regulations. This article explores current flight duty regulations and typical schedules to understand how they can be adapted to future ultra-long-haul operations. A look at Flight Duty Period (FDP) Pilot fatigue has long been a concern in aviation.
In 1993, American International Airways flight 808 crashed while approaching Leeward Point Field in Guantán.