The airline said nearly two million passengers had flown since 2018 on its direct long-haul services from Perth to London, Rome and Paris, from Melbourne to Dallas and from Auckland to New York.
The airline said these routes had the highest customer satisfaction scores on its international network.
Air New Zealand already flies from Auckland to New York direct.
Air NZ in its latest annual report said it would use its Economy Skynest on a newly retrofitted Boeing 787 Dreamliner from November for the New York route.
The first Airbus A350-1000 ultra-long-range aircraft for Project Sunrise flew to Australia in late July.
The aircraft, with two Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 high-bypass turbofan engines, flew from France to Melbourne, taking about 19 hours.
Qantas ordered 12 of the aircraft in May 2022.
The Airbus A350-1000ULR first flight crew on June 1, 2026, for a test flight. Photo / Airbus
They will have a range of about 17,900km and a “wellbeing zone” with a self-service snack station.
The aircraft should be able to fly for up to 22 hours non-stop.
It’s expected the cabins will have six first-class suites, 52 business-class suites, 40 seats in premium economy and 140 in economy.
Airbus said the aircraft had a rear centre tank integrated into its structure, boosting fuel capacity by an extra 20,000 litres.
New York is the second Project Sunrise route to be confirmed.
Qantas expects to start Sydney-London direct flights in October next year.
John Weekes is a business journalist covering aviation. He also has experience covering consumer affairs, crime, politics and courts.
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