After a 3-year hiatus due to "Corona"

Christchurch New Zealand welcomes the return of giant «Emirates»

Emirates Airlines announced the landing of its giant A380 aircraft at Christchurch Airport in New Zealand, resuming daily flights from Dubai to that New Zealand city via Sydney after a hiatus of more than three years.

The Emirates flight was welcomed by a crowd of spectators on the perimeter of the airport, where they watched the plane cross the arc of water to celebrate its return, before stopping in front of media, travel, and VIP representatives at the international terminal.

Emirates flight EK412 left Dubai at 10:15am and stopped in Sydney before resuming flights to Christchurch, arriving at 1:55pm the following day (New Zealand time).


Tremendous response

Barry Brown, Emirates' Vice President Commercial Operations for Australia and New Zealand, said the reception was a testament to the A380's uniqueness and importance to Christchurch since it first arrived in 2016.

"Not only is Christchurch the smallest city on the Emirates A380 network, but New Zealand is now the first country on our network to be served by a four-cabin A380, and our best product to date. The response from customers has been tremendous since ticket sales began, both inside and outside Christchurch, and demand for them is increasing."


Big Boost

Christchurch Mayor Phil Moger welcomed passengers and crew. He said: "The return of the Emirates A380 is a huge boost for our city and the South Island in general, and embodies our openness to work and welcome passengers after years of Corona pandemic restrictions, and I hope that the resumption of service will be a real success for (Emirates)."


An important moment

Christchurch Airport Chief Executive Justin Watson said: "The return of the Emirates A380 is an important moment for Christchurch and the South Island, as the resumption of daily service allows our citizens to reach dozens of the world's most iconic cities from our airport and enjoy the luxury and distinction of Emirates."

"After the Emirates A380 first arrived in October 2016, people used to come to the airport every day to enjoy watching and filming it, but the pandemic temporarily suspended the service, and today we welcome the aircraft back, knowing that many of our enthusiastic citizens are here to greet the crew and passengers."


Network Expansion

The resumption of the Dubai/Christchurch service comes as part of the expansion of seat capacity across Emirates' global network, which has been boosted by 31% (total available kilometre seats) since the beginning of the financial year. This enhancement included the non-stop restart of the Emirates A380 between Dubai and Auckland in December 2022.

The return of the Emirates A380 to Christchurch is also an important development for South Island producers, with Emirates SkyCargo supporting the export of 15 to 18 tonnes of products per day via the Tasmanian Sea to Australia and around the world.


Flight dates

Emirates A412 flight EK380 departs Dubai at 10:15 a.m. and arrives in Sydney at 7:00 a.m. the following day. The flight then continues, departing from Sydney at 8:45am, arriving in Christchurch at 1:55pm.

The return flight, EK413, departs Christchurch at 6:20pm, arriving in Sydney at 7:40pm. The flight continues to Dubai at 9:45pm and arrives at 5:15am the following day (all times are local to Dubai, Sydney and Christchurch).