Qatar Airways recently began offering fliers a trip on the longest commercial flight in the world: a 17-and-a-half-hour, 9,032-mile journey from Doha to Auckland, New Zealand.
“The launch of our new service to Auckland is an important
milestone for Qatar Airways as we expand both in the region and globally across
our network, providing more options and better connections to exciting business
and leisure destinations in Europe and the Middle East,” Akbar Al Baker, chief executive of Qatar Airways Group, said.
Al Baker traveled on the inaugural flight
from Doha to Auckland and was greeted upon arrival by Todd McClay, New
Zealand’s minister for Trade and State Owned Enterprises. Auckland Airport Chief Executive Adrian Littlewood was also on hand. The trip took place on Waitangi Day, which commemorates the treaty that founded New Zealand.
“Arriving in Auckland on Waitangi Day and achieving the
title of world’s longest flight for the return record-breaking service,
which covers a distance of 14,535 kilometres and lasts 17 hours and 30 minutes,
makes this an even more momentous occasion for Qatar Airways and provides
another accomplishment to celebrate in this, our 20th year flying the flag
internationally for Qatar,” Al Baker said.
Jeremy
Clarke-Watson, New Zealand ambassador to the State of Qatar, called the
direct-service flight a major step for growing bilateral relations between
the countries.
“Welcoming Qatar Airways to New Zealand, through this direct
service, is a significant event in the New Zealand Qatar relationship, opening
up greater people-to-people and business-to-business connections between our
two countries,” Clarke-Watson said.
