BA launches 24‑hour Sydney service

British Airways is scheduling its longest service yet in 2026: Sydney to London with a published journey of up to 24 hours 25 minutes, via Singapore. (simpleflying.com) The airline is planning that Sydney–London itinerary as a daily service during the northern summer, using Boeing 787-9 aircraft. Simple Flying, citing Cirium Diio schedule data, says the maximum block time applies between May 2026 and February 2027. (simpleflying.com | britishairways.com) In airline scheduling, “block time” means gate to gate, not just time in the air. It includes taxiing, flight time and built-in padding for congestion or minor delays, which is how a one-stop service can be listed at more than 24 hours. (simpleflying.com) This is not a new nonstop link between Britain and Australia. British Airways already serves Sydney through Singapore on BA15 and BA16, and current tracking data shows the Sydney sector is operated by the Boeing 787-9. (flightaware.com | flightradar24.com) The change is really about how British Airways is rebuilding its long-haul network for 2026 and 2027. The same schedule analysis says the carrier currently plans 12 London routes in that period, even after cutting 21 routes since January 2025, with some shifts between London airports. (simpleflying.com) Australia is a bigger part of that plan. British Airways is also set to return to Melbourne on January 9, 2027, its first service to Victoria in more than 20 years, with flights stopping in Kuala Lumpur. (simpleflying.com) The aircraft choice shows the tradeoff on flights this long. The Boeing 787-9 burns less fuel than larger widebody jets, and British Airways’ Sydney service is usually scheduled with a 216-seat version, while a 215-seat refitted variant appears occasionally, according to the route analysis. (simpleflying.com | trip.com) British Airways is also planning a seasonal swap on Sydney. During the northern winter, Simple Flying reports, the airline expects to use the more premium-heavy 254-seat Boeing 777-300ER instead of the 787-9, adding 38 seats a day in each direction. (simpleflying.com) That puts British Airways back into a market where Qantas is also expanding. Simple Flying says the British Airways Sydney–London timing is still about 35 minutes shorter than Qantas’ maximum block time on the same airport pair, while Melbourne is set to regain two London links once Qantas shifts its Perth–Heathrow service to begin and end in Melbourne in October 2026. (simpleflying.com) For passengers, the headline is simple even if the routing is not: British Airways is betting that a daily one-stop trip to Sydney can still be sold as a single marathon journey in a market where airlines are stretching long-haul flying back toward Australia. (simpleflying.com | britishairways.com)