EMIRATES airline announced that it will fly to Christchurch from June 20, marking its second footprint in New Zealand after Auckland, which joined the Emirates route network in August last year.
The new connection to Christchurch will be an extension of the upcoming Dubai-Melbourne non-stop service, which Emirates will operate with the ultra long-haul A340-500 aircraft. Initially flying three times a week, the service will double to six times weekly on 1 August.
This means that Emirates will offer a total of 27 flights a week to New Zealand by August. The airline presently flies to Auckland daily via Sydney, daily via Singapore and Brisbane, and daily via Singapore and Melbourne.
HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman of Emirates Group, said: “Emirates is happy to offer yet another exciting destination to our passengers. Our Christchurch service will provide excellent connections for New Zealand passengers travelling to Australia, and onward to Europe, Africa or Middle Eastern cities via our Dubai hub. Similarly, it will bring our customers from other parts of the world another speedy and convenient route to New Zealand.”
Sheikh Ahmed noted that New Zealand is an increasingly popular destination for leisure travellers from Europe and the Middle East. The largest city in New Zealand’s South Island, Christchurch offers a multitude of options for outdoor and sporting activities amidst a backdrop of scenic mountains, rivers, lakes, and beaches. “Christchurch is the gateway for outdoor and adventure tourism in New Zealand’s South Island, and we anticipate our new service will cater to this growing demand,” he added.
From 10 June, flight EK406 will depart from Dubai on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 10.10am, arriving in Melbourne at 5.30pm the next day. It will then fly onward to Christchurch at 7.15am, touching down at 12.30pm hours. Return flight EK407 will take off from Christchurch on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays at 6.05pm, landing in Melbourne at 7.45pm. From Melbourne, the flight will depart for Dubai at 9.30pm, arriving in 5.40am the next day. All flight times indicated above are local. From August 1, the Dubai-Melbourne-Christchurch service will operate six times weekly, departing from Dubai Mondays through Saturdays.