Flying high! Record-breaking plane touches down after 24 hours

Australian airline Qantas has completed what's believed to be the world's longest-ever commercial flight.

One of its planes flew non-stop from Melbourne in the south of the country to the French city of Toulouse, as part of a test flight.

The journey lasted for 24 hours and 24 minutes and took place ahead of the airline's new upcoming direct route between London and Sydney.

The flights will use a specially-adapted Airbus aircraft with an extra fuel tank, allowing it to travel much further without stopping for fuel.

The Airbus A350 journey from Melbourne to Toulouse is part of a plan called Project Sunrise, which aims to get rid of stopovers on some of the longest routes between Australia and Europe.

The 14,339-mile journey saw the plane cross three continents and two oceans - the Pacific and Atlantic.

It also crossed through two sunsets and two dawns.

On its outbound flight last week, from Toulouse to Melbourne, the test aircraft flew just over 10,000 miles in 19 hours and 12 minutes.

The team said that the return trip to France, where Airbus has its main base, took the same route the plane will fly when it starts carrying passengers.

Qantas plans to begin offering non-stop flights between London and Sydney from October 2027.

Currently, the world's longest passenger flight service is Singapore Airline's route between Singapore and New York, which covers around 9,500 miles and lasts more than 18 hours.