Emirates deploys Airbus A380 aircraft on Christchurch and Auckland routes

As well as the non-stop route, Emirates also operates three other daily A380 services between Dubai and Auckland via the Australian cities of Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane.

Emirates is the biggest customer for the Airbus A380, which has become a key plank in the rapid expansion of its global route network. Ollie Dale / AFP

Emirates has introduced its flagship A380 double-decker aircraft on two New Zealand routes on the same day.

The capacity increase on its Christchurch service and its non-stop Dubai-Auckland flight means that Emirates now has an all-A380 offering across its five daily New Zealand services, it said. The Dubai carrier had previously deployed Boeing 777s to the cities.

Along with the non-stop route, Emirates also operates three other daily A380 services between Dubai and Auckland through the Australian cities of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.

Emirates this week also revealed it planned to upgrade one of its nine daily flights between Dubai and Doha to an Airbus A380 from December 1.

The airline is the biggest customer for the Airbus A380, which has become a key plank in the rapid expansion of its global route network.

Still, the manufacturer Airbus plans to reduce the assembly rate of the plane to one per month from 2018, it confirmed.

It said the market for the aircraft was “very thin” and that finding new buyers was taking longer than expected.

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