Qatar Air's CEO greets first arrival in Auckland

The CEO of Qatar Airways Group watched from the ground as his company's first nonstop flight from Doha to Auckland, New Zealand, came to a stop on the tarmac.

“We are proud to offer the people of New Zealand the best possible passenger experience when connecting to friends and family across the globe on board the world’s longest commercial flight, from Auckland to Doha,” Akbar Al-Baker said. “The new service will give passengers from New Zealand the opportunity to travel to the more than 150 destinations on our global network, where they will arrive feeling more refreshed than ever before thanks to the modern technology and high level of personalized customer service on board.”

Qatar Airways has said it is committed to bringing more visitors to Auckland, and daily flights will allow fliers from Qatar to visit the booming tourist locations in New Zealand. Passengers from New Zealand now have access to the airline’s global network via its hub, Hamad International Airport.

“The new service provides an exciting new option for visitors to New Zealand and for New Zealanders traveling overseas,” Auckland Airport CEO Adrian Littlewood said. He estimated that the new service will contribute approximately $140 million per year to the Auckland economy.