I’m a sleep scientist working to make the world’s longest, 22-hour flight tolerable

In 1919, Capt John Alcock and Lt Arthur Whitten Brown flew non-stop across the Atlantic Ocean from Newfoundland in Canada to the west coast of Ireland. The 1,890-mile journey, in a twin-engine biplane, took more than 16 hours.

Less than two years from now, a new aviation milestone should have been achieved – the world’s longest non-stop flight. Australia’s flag-carrier Qantas hopes to realise “Project Sunrise” – so-called because passengers on the flights will see two sunrises – by 2027. 

The ultra-long haul flights – between Sydney on the east coast of Australia, London and New York – will cover around 10,000 miles (16,000km) in up to 22 hours, non-stop. Qantas describes the routes as “the final frontier of aviation”.

The non-stop routes will be a game-changer for passengers travelling across the world, who will no longer have to change planes en route. They are being made possible by engineering, thanks to modified Airbus A350-1000 aircraft that will carry enough fuel for the journey.

How the A350-1000 planes will be configured (Photo: Qantas)

While the non-stop flights will offer a faster route across the globe, many would-be passengers will be considering the impact of being airborne in a pressurised cabin, travelling through 11 times zones over up to 22 hours.

As part of Project Sunrise, scientists are working to minimise the human impact of these journeys, designing an algorithm aimed at keeping passengers’ circadian rhythm – or body clock – as well-adjusted as possible.

Professor Stephen Simpson, a biologist and director of the Charles Perkins Centre at the University of Sydney, has been working with Qantas on the mammoth project.

“Every single cell in your body has its own little 24-hour clock”, he tells The i Paper, explaining that working out circadian rhythm can help ease jet lag and make unnaturally long journeys more tolerable.

The planes will have well-being areas and juices for hydration (Photo: Qantas)

Currently, the longest flight in the world is Singapore Airlines’ routes between New York/Newark and Singapore, journeys of more than 15,000km and between 18-19 hours.

Simpson worked on Qantas’s ultra-long haul launch between London and Perth in Western Australia in 2018 (average flight time 16 hours 43 minutes), and while he says “there’s nothing really qualitatively different about flying from London to Sydney rather than Perth in a metal box”, he and his team have been working hard to make the longer flights less uncomfortable.

“We’ve convened a group of disciplinary experts that includes physicists working on circadian modelling through to dietitians and people working in exercise physiology and industrial design and physical activity and state of mind and psychology,” he explains.

“We’ve come together with the airline to develop an integrated programme that could reformulate the ultra-long haul journey experience.”

In easy terms, they’ve gone back to the biology of circadian control, examining behaviours in pre-flight, transit lounges, in the air, and post-arrival “to really intervene in ways that would allow people to manage jet lag that have not been possible before”.

In the departure lounge and in the in-flight kitchen, Qantas’s chef, Neil Perry, is helping to design hydration stations serving juices without sugars which can affect circadian rhythm. 

There will also be light showers – not washing facilities, but the controlled intensity of artificial light in cabins throughout the flight – as well as “wellness zones” in which passengers can stretch their legs, although the details of these have yet to be revealed. 

The new Airbus will look noticeably different  

There will be fewer seats onboard the modified Airbus A350-1000 aircraft that will fly the routes – 238 compared to 300 on a regular A350 – designed for increased comfort.

Qantas uses Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner on its London to Perth route, an aircraft that can seat up to 290 passengers. However, the longer routes will require lighter and more aerodynamic planes to be able to fly further while carrying more fuel.

The A350-1000 seat formation will range from 3-3-3 in economy – with 33-inch pitch and a six-way adjustable headrest – to hotel-suite-style first-class berths, with a 6ft 5in flat bed, an inch longer than an A380 first-class bed, as well as a separate reclining armchair and a full-length wardrobe.

A first-class seat (Photo: Qantas)

While details of the onboard menu are still under wraps, it is being designed to maximise the uptake of tryptophan into the brain – crucial for making melatonin, the sleep hormone that’s released when daylight fades. 

“If we get the timings of the meals right, alongside this suite of other things, we predict jet lag will be eased quantifiably,” Simpson says.  

As research, Simpson and members of his team have been travelling on long haul flights wearing monitors that record physiological and hormonal changes. The results will feed into their algorithms for Project Sunrise.

“On many airlines, the timing of meals is often completely wrong, the cabin temperatures don’t follow the rhythmicity that they should to encourage sleep at the right times. They’re often too hot or too cold and the level of hydration is not necessarily optimised,” he explains.

“You can end up feeling much worse than you ought if things were designed differently.”

He goes on to explain that the cost of jet lag is “extraordinary”.

Passengers on the route will see sunrise twice on the journey (Photo: Jaromir/Getty)

“There are billions of passengers on international flights every year. If you reduce jet lag by even half a day – and our data so far is suggesting that’s well achievable – that’s going to be nearly nine million days of more productive, less miserable time gained,” Simpson says.

“That reduces downtime, it increases productivity, it improves holiday time and gives economic benefit. It’s really a challenge worth solving.”

The science applies on shorter journeys, too

While it’s currently impossible to eliminate the effects of crossing multiple time zones on a single flight, it is possible to reduce the impact on the human body.

This can apply to short haul flights too, especially if you follow a few straightforward steps. 

“Maintaining hydration is crucial,” says Simpson, “and that doesn’t mean being well-hydrated with red wine.”

Nevertheless, he understands that flying is often a memorable experience: “If you want to enjoy a glass of something, you should,” he says.

He advises wearing compression socks to avoid deep vein thrombosis as well as keeping your legs moving – “there are various little design features that can assist [on the new route]”, although their exact nature is still to be revealed. 

Simpson also suggests avoiding caffeine, and surprisingly, chillies. 

“Avoid them when you’re trying to wind down to go to sleep, so you’re more likely to achieve a restful period during the flight.”

Exposure to light is critical to the body’s circadian rhythms (Photo: Getty)

While food and physical activity can help to reset circadian rhythm, “light sits at the top of the hierarchy, and it’s the most important cue”, he says. 

If you get the light wrong, “you can scramble your clock terribly”.

He’s drawing on his own experience, flying from Sydney to Montana, USA for a conference. 

“I got there and it was a summer evening, so it was very bright and sunny. Because I’d been stuck on a plane, I went for a walk up a steep hill near where I was staying. It was precisely the wrong time to expose myself to bright light and physical activity and I just scrambled my entire circadian biology. I couldn’t sleep at all for the next week.”

It is important to consider your body clock before travelling to the airport, too. 

While it is only possible to shift your body clock by about an hour a day in either direction, that can be worth it.

“Work towards your destination time for a few days before you leave,” he advises, “Depending on which direction you’re going, go to bed a little bit later, or a little earlier, in the appropriate direction. It’s going to take time, but you need to be helping your clock get used to the destination time zone.”

The two most important points to remember, though, to avoid jet lag?

“Don’t drink too much on the plane – and absolutely avoid bright lights at the wrong time.”