Emirates to fly 14,000km in the least possible time

Emirates' direct flights between Auckland and Dubai will be one of the longest routes in terms of distance, but smart technology and good planning is expected to minimise time in the air. Emirates will make use of flexible routes, which can vary from day to day, and avoid headwinds to reduce flight time. This technology, coupled with the fact that stopovers in Australia are no longer required, allows the airline to cut the travel time from Dubai to Auckland by up to three hours. This is not only good news for passengers, but also from an environmental perspective in that it will save significant amounts of fuel. The airline launches direct flights between Dubai and Auckland on March 1, 2016. The new route will be served by a Boeing 777-200LR and would normally take a little under 16 hours from Dubai to New Zealand, and 17 hours and 15 minutes in the opposite direction. “Emirates continues to invest in innovative technologies, and we utilise best practices in optimising our flight planning systems, finding the best routes that take into consideration weather and current conditions to ensure we save time, fuel and emissions, while never compromising on the safety and comfort of our passengers and crew,” said Geoff Hounsell, Emirates’ VP Flight Operations Support Services and Air Traffic Management. A 14,000 km long flight requires tremendous amounts planning and Airservice Australia and Airways New Zealand have been key partners in the effort, the airline said. Most of the flight will be in Australian airspace, an area where Emirates has worked with Airservice Australia over the last decade to optimise routes with regard to new technology and travel efficiency. This knowledge and technology has been used during the planning of the new Auckland route. “The organised track system – AUSOTS - is well-proven and extending that programme so that it is specific to the Auckland–Dubai route will have significant benefits, without impacting the operations of other aircraft going to Australia,” said Geoff Hounsell. He adds that a number of environmental and air traffic control specialists have helped Emirates plan and find the optimal routes both ways. The aircraft will carry 13 cabin crew and four pilots, therefore allowing employees a chance to rest on the flight. Emirates has a total of 249 active aircraft, including 74 Airbus A380s and 155 Boeing 777s, of which ten are Boeing 777-200LRs.