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Emirates A380 Starts Service to Auckland
Emirates Airlines' version of the world's biggest passenger plane, the Airbus A380, touches down in Auckland today to begin a three-times-a-week service to Sydney.
Emirates manager New Zealand and Pacific Islands Chris Lethbridge said New Zealanders would be able to experience the latest in aviation technology with the introduction of the A380.
"The A380 is quieter, more spacious and more environmentally friendly," he said.
Mr Lethbridge said there was tremendous interest in the superjumbo and believed the new era of mass transit would be embraced by travellers.
"We have no doubt it will be a great success operating to and from Auckland," he said.
Each cabin also features an advanced mood lighting system, complete with a starlit sky that adjusts throughout a flight to reflect the time at the destination, and to combat the effects of jetlag.
Despite its vast proportions, Emirates says that the A380 burns up to 20 per cent less fuel than a Boeing 747 and is more fuel efficient than a small family car at 3.1 litres per 100 passenger kilometres.
It generates half the noise of a 747-400 on takeoff and produces 75g of carbon dioxide per passenger km - almost half of the European emissions target for cars manufactured in 2008.
Emirates plans to make the A380 transtasman service daily out of Auckland when it has enough aircraft.
