Corporate bits | Qatar Airways breaks longest flight record

Qatar Airways launched its new record-breaking Auckland service on Waitangi Day, one of the country’s most significant days of the year.

The first Qatar Airways flight touched down just after sunrise on the North Island of New Zealand.

The Doha-Auckland route – which takes 17 hours and 30 minutes and covers a distance of 14,535 kilometers – is the world’s longest commercial flight.

Celebrations to commemorate the inaugural flight began with a traditional water salute as the Qatar Airways Boeing 777 taxied down the runway.

Qatar Airways said its Boeing 777 has a two-class configuration with 42 seats in Business Class and 217 seats in Economy Class.

Passengers travelling to and from Auckland in Business Class can experience comfortable, fully-flat beds in the sky with 78 inches of seat pitch. The aircraft also features an inflight entertainment system with up to 3,000 entertainment options on individual screens in all classes.

Qatar Airways Group chief executive Akbar Al Baker, who travelled on board the inaugural flight, said: “Arriving in Auckland on Waitangi Day, and achieving the title of world’s longest flight for the return record-breaking service, […] 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.”

Jeremy Clarke-Watson, New Zealand Ambassador to the State of Qatar, added: “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.”
Auckland is Qatar Airways’ first new destination to be launched this year. The airline added 14 new destinations to its lineup in 2016 and plans to launch more in 2017/18.