Emirates to launch non-stop Auckland route

The new service will compliment Emirates’ current three-times daily flights to Aukland via Australia and its daily Christchurch service, providing travellers with more options when flying to New Zealand - the new direct service saves three hours each way compared to stopping over in Australia. “Tourists, in particular, will now have more options – travelling to Auckland with a stopover in Australia on one of our three daily A380s, flying non-stop direct into Auckland, or flying to the South Island on our daily Christchurch service,” said Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline and Group. Flight time will be around 16 hours from Dubai and 17 hours 15 minutes on the return, making it one of the world’s longest flights. Purpose-built Boeing 777-200LR aircraft will operate the new route, with capacity for to 266 passengers over three classes - eight First Class suites, 42 lie-flat Business Class seats, and 216 Economy Class seats. Sheikh Ahmed said that fleet growth and renewal is rapidly expanding both its A380 and Boeing 777 numbers, allowing the right sort of aircraft for the ultra-longhaul non-stop flight from Dubai to be available. Flight EK448 will depart Dubai daily at 10.05 and arrive in Auckland at 11.00 the next day. In the opposite direction, flight EK 449 will depart Auckland at 21:30, arriving in Dubai at 5.45 the next day. Emirates plans to fly the world’s longest flight to Panama with a Boeing 777-200LR have been pushed back by almost two months to March 31.

Emirates Boeing 777-200LR