The first direct flight from Dubai to Auckland landed safely in Auckland Airport, covering 14,200 kilometers. The aircraft was immediately saluted by showers of water cannons. An Airbus A380 was used for the inaugural flight but all flights following suit will be flown via a Boeing 777.
The flight back to Dubai was estimated to take as long as 17 hours and 15 minutes, but ended up making the trip in 16 hours and 24 minutes, reports the New Zealand Herald. The non-stop flight is said to cut out travel time by three whole hours.
Along with the new route, Emirates is opening up more than 2,000 seats daily for flights out of New Zealand.
“We anticipate high demand for the route, providing a further boost to inbound tourist traffic into New Zealand that now exceeds three million a year. We also expect the service to be popular with New Zealanders seeking faster connections to Europe and the Middle East,” said Gary Chapman, president group services & dnata, Emirates Group.
In second spot for the longest non-stop flight is Qantas’ 13,800 kilometer route Dallas/Ft. Worth to Sydney on an Airbus A380. But that flight will soon be bumped to third place when Emirates trumps again later this month with flights from Dubai to Panama City that will take 17 hours and 35 minutes.
That sounds like a serious case of jet lag, so here’s preparing yourself.
Long flights, long nights & long walks on the beach.
Photo credit: Main.
