by Donald Wood
Last updated: 3:30 PM ET, Fri March 4, 2016
PHOTO: Although the inaugural flight was an Airbus 380, the route between UAE and New Zealand will be flown on a Boeing 777-200LR, pictured. (Photo courtesy of Emirates)
Dubai-based Emirates airline has launched a non-stop flight between the United Arab Emirates and New Zealand, making it the longest non-stop commercial flight in the world.
According to Elaine Yu of CNN.com, one of Emirates' Airbus 380 airplanes left Dubai and landed in Auckland, New Zealand, covering an amazing 14,200 kilometers or around 8,800 miles.
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The record-breaking flight took 17 hours and 15 minutes, and the airline believes the non-stop flight will be more fuel-efficient and quicker overall. The flights-which are now scheduled daily between the two cities-saves three hours by avoiding the previous layover in Australia.
The Airbus 380 is a double-decker passenger plane that registers as the world's largest passenger plane, but it was only used on the inaugural flight for the route. The plane that will be used by Emirates regularly on the daily world's longest non-stop commercial flight will be the Boeing 777-200LR.
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The Dubai-to-Auckland route may not hold the record long, as Emirates has another route planned between Dubai and Panama City that would take 17 hours and 35 minutes to complete. While the distance between the cities is less, the flight will actually take longer overall.
The Dubai-to-Panama City route is planned to begin in late March, pending code share approvals from Latin America
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