Emirates reinstates non-stop Airbus A380 flights to Auckland

New Zealanders heading to Dubai and Europe with Emirates will again have a direct path as non-stop flights between Auckland and Dubai – once again the Gulf carrier's longest direct flight – return to the skies from 1 December.

As an added bonus, the 17-hour-10-minute service will be upgraded to an Airbus A380, complete with its inflight bar and lounge for business and first class travellers. The superjumbo swap will mean a substantial upgrade for business class to the A380's fully flat beds, without the dreaded middle seat and unpopular 2-3-2 layout.

The lie-flat beds in Emirates' A380 business class are a joy to fly.

Currently, Emirates serves Auckland daily with a Boeing 777 aircraft which makes a 90-minute stop in Kuala Lumpur in both directions. The return of the direct flight will shave more than two hours off the total flight time between the two cities.

However, the direct Auckland service won't initially feature its new premium economy class, with that honour becoming available to flights from Christchurch (via Sydney), also from 1 December.

If you'd like to fly in Emirates premium economy, you'll need to set off from Auckland as of December.

The direct EK449 flight will set off from Auckland at 9:15pm, touching down in Dubai at 5:15am the morning afterward. It's wheels-up on the return leg EK448 at 10:05am, landing back in New Zealand at 11:05am the next day after a 16-hour journey.

Emirates has also recently revised its dining offering on long-range flights, with a new selection of vegan-friendly meals, a selection of gourmet snacks as part of its new 'Cinema in the Sky' service and for first class travellers, unlimited portions of Persian caviar.