Emirates relaunches A380 to...

Dubai-Christchurch route via Sydney resumes after a three-year hiatus

Emirates has resumed Dubai-to-Christchurch flights after a three-year break in operations.

The outbound EK412 flight left Dubai on Monday at 10:15 local time, stopping briefly in Sydney before arriving in Christchurch at 13:55 on Tuesday this week.

On board the first flight back to Christchurch, Emirates divisional vice president Australasia Barry Brown said: "Seeing the water cannon salute after we touched down in the first Emirates A380 flight in more than three years is a reminder of how special the aircraft is to Christchurch, since its first arrival in 2016.

"The significance of the occasion was also clear on the faces of the other passengers on board, who understood what this service means for Christchurch and connecting it to the world."

Not only has Christchurch once again become the smallest city on Emirates’ A380 network, but New Zealand has now become the first country on the network to exclusively carry Emirates' four cabin A380.

The resumption of the Dubai-to-Christchurch route headlines a planned ramping up of seating capacity across Emirates’ global network, after boosting operations 31% since the beginning of its financial year.

Emirates reintroduced its nonstop A380 route from Auckland to Dubai in December of last year.

For more information, visit www.emirates.com