Emirates flagship A380 made a landmark touchdown at the Auckland Airport

The Emirates double-decker has landed in Auckland for the first time since February 2020, demonstrating increasing travel demand in and out of New Zealand. The special non-stop daily service from Dubai to Auckland was welcomed at the Auckland Airport, ahead of the country’s first fully-open summer since the pandemic.

Emirates flight EK448 takes off from the Dubai International Airport at 10.05am and lands in Auckland at 11.05am local time. The flight has reclaimed the title of Emirates’ longest route on its network — clocking in 14,200km — with an estimated flight time of just under 16 hours from Dubai to New Zealand, and 17 hours, 15 minutes in the opposite direction making it one of the world’s longest non-stop scheduled commercial flights.

Emirates has been flying to New Zealand for 19 years: a sign of its ongoing commitment to the market. Throughout the pandemic, Emirates continued to serve the country — by connecting New Zealand and the world with daily flights, as well as through its SkyCargo services, which bring essential goods in and out of the nation.

The latest services will offer customers greater levels of flexibility and choice when making travel plans, provide seamless connectivity, and reduce transit time when travelling to other destinations in its global network — including destinations in Europe and the Middle East. The Emirates A380 experience remains highly sought-after by travellers offering 14 First Class suites and 76 lie-flat seats in Business Class. Customers travelling to and from Auckland can look forward to enjoying its spacious and comfortable cabins, and signature products that offer travellers the best experiences in the sky, such as the Onboard Lounge, First Class suites, Shower Spa and an award-winning in-flight entertainment system that includes more than 5,000 channels of on-demand entertainment.

The airline has been gradually accelerating the deployment of its flagship A380 aircraft, in line with growing demand for air travel. Currently, Emirates’ A380 is deployed to 37 global destinations in 25 countries, increasing to 42 cities by March 2023.