Emirates has announced that it will resume nonstop A380 flights between Dubai and Auckland beginning 1 December 2022.

The airline now serves Auckland with a Boeing 777-300ER service that stops in Kuala Lumpur before continuing on to Auckland.

The launch of A380 flights will see Auckland delinked and supplied with direct services to and from Dubai, according to a statement from the carrier. The new service between Dubai and Auckland will also reclaim the title of Emirates’ longest route, covering 14,200 kilometres. It will be one of the world’s longest non-stop scheduled commercial flights.

Emirates’ direct flight EK448 from Dubai to Auckland will depart at 10.05 am and arrive the following day at 11.05 am. The return flight leaves Auckland at 9.15 p.m. and arrives in Dubai at 5.25 a.m. the following day.

The airline stated that it is accelerating the deployment of its A380 aircraft in response to rising worldwide demand for air travel, with 32 scheduled destinations now served.

While New Zealand is promoting more incoming visitors through a global campaign in key markets, Emirates has also inked a Memorandum of Collaboration (MoC) with the Malaysia Tourism Board to develop inbound visitor volume into the country from across the airline’s network.