Dubai carrier Emirates has launched a new daily service to Auckland in New Zealand via Bali, thus reflecting increased interest in the attractive Indonesian island destination and improving connectivity to New Zealand.

 

The new service offers global travellers a total of three daily services to New Zealand, complementing Emirates’ existing non-stop daily A380 service between Dubai and Auckland and its current daily A380 service between Dubai and Christchurch via Sydney, said a statement from the Dubai carrier. 

 

Travellers will now also enjoy a choice of three daily services between Dubai to Bali in the summer (northern hemisphere), as the new flight adds to Emirates’ two existing daily services which are currently operated by a Boeing 777-300ER in a two-class configuration.

 

On touchdown at both Denpasar (Bali) and Auckland airports, the debut flight was greeted with a water cannon salute.

 

Emirates’ new Dubai-Bali-Auckland flight provides the only year-round non-stop daily service between Auckland and Bali, giving passengers an opportunity to visit and/or stop over in one of the most popular islands in Indonesia, stated the Dubai airline.

 

The airline is operating a 777-300ER on the route, offering eight seats in First, 42 seats in Business and 304 seats in Economy class, as well as 20 tonnes of belly-hold cargo capacity. The new service will also be the first Emirates Bali flight to offer passengers the airline’s award-winning First Class product.

 

Emirates Airline President Sir Tim Clark said: "We are very pleased to see the interest this new route has created since it was announced in mid-February, reflected in strong bookings from Auckland to Bali and beyond, as well as southbound from our global network."

 

"Markets such as the UK, Europe and the Middle East have all responded keenly to the new option provided by us opening up this route. Bali and Auckland are both desirable destinations in the eyes of our customers," he noted.

 

From New Zealand, most interest in the new route is from leisure travellers of all ages, among them visitors seeking to explore the cultural side of the destination and surfers keen to try Bali’s waves. 

 

Auckland is a vibrant, cosmopolitan community of more than 1.6 million people – New Zealand’s biggest city, containing a third of the country’s population. 

 

Located on an isthmus between two harbours, the city has a wide range of attractive beaches, including popular surfing spots; has a global reputation as a city of sails with an extensive variety of yacht and motor vessel marinas; and a selection of bush walks within easy reach; as well as numerous award-winning vineyards. Emirates has been operating to Auckland since mid-2003.

 

With its spectacular mountains, picturesque beaches and cultural appeal, Bali is considered to be a world leading tourist destination, welcoming more than 4.5 million foreign tourist arrivals in 2016, including over 40,500 New Zealanders. Emirates’ new service will add to Bali’s global connectivity, further stimulating the island’s economic and tourism growth.

 

Apart from the opportunity for a stopover in Bali, the new service will provide excellent connections to/from London and other major European cities. 

 

The southbound flight, EK450, will depart Dubai at 7.05am, arriving at Denpasar (Bali) at 8.20pm (local time), before flying on to Auckland at 10pm, arriving in New Zealand’s biggest city at 10am, the following day.

 

Northbound, the new service will depart Auckland as flight EK 451 at the convenient time of 12.50pm, arriving in Denpasar at 5:55am, sai dthe statement from Emirates.

 

It will then depart Denpasar at 7.50pm arriving in Dubai just after midnight at 12:45am, connecting to flights to many of the points beyond on the extensive Emirates and flydubai partnership network, it added.-TradeArabia News Service