Emirates' Double Inaugural in Auckland

Over the weekend, Emirates Airline had a double inaugural celebration in Auckland, with the arrival of its first flights from Sydney and Melbourne.

Arriving on the first inaugural flight from Sydney, His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Emirates and his VIP delegation were greeted by the New Zealand Prime Minister, the Rt Hon Helen Clark. This was Sheikh Ahmed’s first visit to New Zealand.

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In her remarks, the Prime Minister expressed her delight with Emirates' new services to New Zealand. She was particularly pleased that the routes were launched only nine months after she had visited Dubai and discussed the possibility with Sheikh Ahmed and Maurice Flanagan.

The second inaugural flight from Melbourne which arrived shortly after, carried Maurice Flanagan, Emirates’ Vice Chairman and Group President, and was greeted by the Mayor of Manukau City, Sir Barry Curtis.

The new services offer passengers the choice of 14 flights weekly across the Tasman Sea with the further choice of two Australian gateways. On October 26, those numbers will increase when Emirates launches a new daily service to Brisbane, which will continue on to Auckland. Emirates plans to provide a major boost to the Auckland route by operating the new Airbus A340, non-stop between Dubai and Sydney and onwards to Auckland from December.

Cargo loads on both inaugural flights were full with shipments for Singapore, Sydney/Melbourne in addition to Auckland. Shipments into Auckland comprise spare parts, personal effects and electrical goods while fresh produce is expected to form most shipments out of Auckland.