At the beginning of the month, Emirates commenced flights on what is currently the longest non-stop commercial route in the world between Dubai and Auckland, New Zealand. That claim looks set to last only until December, though, when Qatar Airways will start flying between Auckland and Qatar's capital Doha.
The route distance, Qatar Airways tells Gizmag, is 9,034 miles (14,539 km), making it just over 200 miles (322 km) longer than Emirates' recently commenced 8,833-mi (14,215-km) route. Despite that, it still falls short of the discontinued 9,534-mi (15,343-km) Singapore Airlines Flight 21 service between Singapore and Newark, which is believed to be the longest non-stop commercial route ever.
The new route will be operated daily in both directions and flown using Boeing 777 aircraft. Flying from Auckland to Doha is expected to take around 17 hours and 30 minutes, while the Doha to Auckland leg is expected to take about 16 hours and 20 minutes.
Passengers will be able to take advantage of up to 3,000 in-flight entertainment options, with up to 550 movies, 1,400 episodes of TV shows, 1,000 audio selections and 50 games. Onboard Wi-Fi will also be available.
Qatar Airways announced the new route at the ITB Berlin international travel fair as part of a wider expansion of its network, with 14 new destinations. Flights between Auckland and Doha will commence from December 3rd.
Source: Qatar Airways
