Five A380 flights daily from Dubai to New Zealand

Emirates A380s will start flying between Dubai and New Zealand five times daily from 30 October with the introduction of the airline’s double-decker flagship aircraft on Christchurch services, the company has announced.

It will also be doing away with the en-route stop in Bangkok which will enable passengers to travel all the way between Christchurch and Dubai, with just one stop in Sydney.

The launch of the Christchurch A380 flights will coincide with the introduction of the A380 on Emirates’ daily non-stop route between Dubai and Auckland. The airline currently also operates three other daily A380 services between Auckland and Dubai and beyond via Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane.

Known as the Garden City, Christchurch is the main gateway to the South Island and is set on the Canterbury Plains.

The picturesque Avon River runs through the middle of the city of more than 380,000 residents, with the river banks featuring cycle paths, the green expanse of Hagley Park and the Christchurch Botanic Gardens.

Other tourist attractions include the International Antarctic Centre, the Christchurch Art Gallery and the start point for scenic journeys on the Trans Alpine passenger train. 

All New Zealand services will continue to offer first, business and economy class seating, with generous free baggage allowances

First class passengers will be able to enjoy the quiet luxury of their private suites and enjoy the industry’s only onboard shower spa. First class and business class passengers can also socialise and sample canapes and cocktails at the popular onboard lounge while passengers in all classes can enjoy the gourmet cuisine, Emirates‘ award-winning inflight entertainment, with more than 2,500 channels and free Wi-Fi, which is available on all of the airline’s A380s. 

Emirates operates daily scheduled flights between Malta and Dubai, flying twice weekly to Malta, on Mondays and Wednesdays, via Larnaca in Cyprus, while on Sundays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays the airline operates the Dubai - Malta route on a circular routing via Tunis in Tunisia. The return flight flies direct from Malta to Dubai.