AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND — Emirates’ flagship A380 made a landmark touchdown at Auckland Airport today. This is the first time the Emirates double-decker has landed in Auckland since February 2020, demonstrating increasing travel demand into and out of New Zealand.

The special non-stop daily service from Dubai to Auckland was welcomed at Auckland Airport ahead of the country’s first fully open summer since the pandemic.

Emirates flight EK448 takes off from Dubai International Airport at 10:05 am and lands in Auckland at 11:05 am local time. The flight has reclaimed the title of Emirates’ longest route on its network, clocking in at 14,200 km with an estimated flight time of just under 16 hours from Dubai to New Zealand and 17 hours and 15 minutes in the other direction. This makes 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, both by connecting New Zealand and the world with daily flights as well as through its SkyCargo services, which brought essential goods in and out of the nation.