Qantas' nearly 20-hour flight from New York to Sydney to hit the skies. Yes, 20 hours

Australian airline Qantas is testing its first nearly 20-hour nonstop flight from New York to Sydney Friday night, with 50 passengers and crew members along for the "research" ride.

Qantas is using this flight as an opportunity to see how passengers and crew fair with a flight that's close to a full day long. The airline wants to help minimize jet leg, figure out the best rest and work periods for the crew and overall health and wellness of those aboard.

This will mark the first flight of Qantas' Project Sunrise project, which if approved, would see commercial flights begin in 2022 or 2023. The airline is expected make a decision about Project Sunrise by the end of the year.

Four pilots will rotate throughout the 19-and-a-half-hour flight, with two other pilots also in the cabin. The flight, like any, must face wind and weather conditions of the day.

Qantas announced in August it would be testing nonstop flights from New York and London to Sydney. According to the airline's press release at the time, its test marks the first-ever direct commercial flight between New York and Sydney and only the second between London and Sydney.

The Boeing 787-9 aircraft used for the research flight was not specifically made for this 10,200-mile trip, but will fly with maximum fuel and a smaller passenger and baggage load - plus no cargo - so it can travel non-stop.

"Ultra-long haul flying presents a lot of common sense questions about the comfort and well being of passengers and crew. These flights are going to provide invaluable data to help answer them," CEO Alan Joyce said in the August press release.

Joyce said the airline would make a decision about whether to pursue the ultra-long-haul flights by the end of the year, pending regulatory approval, business agreements and other economic factors.

"There's plenty of enthusiasm for Sunrise, but it's not a foregone conclusion," Joyce added. "This is ultimately a business decision and the economics have to stack up."

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