Qatar Airways has announced its daily Auckland-Doha service will restart in September after being suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 17-hour-15-minute flight is the second longest in the world behind Singapore Airlines non-stop service to New York, which takes up to 18 hours and 35 minutes.
On September 2, QR921 will depart Auckland at 3pm and is scheduled to land at Doha's Hamad International Airport at 11:15pm (local time).
The flight will be operated seven days per week thereafter, while the returning QR920 departs Doha on at 1:50am, arriving into Auckland Airport at 2:45am a day later. The first flight departs Qatar on September 1.
The service will be operated on an Airbus A350-1000 with 46 business class seats and 281 in economy class.
From Doha, New Zealand travellers have a broad network of destinations in reach with a second flight throughout Europe, Africa and the Middle East. The restart of the Auckland-Doha route will provide competition for Emirates' Auckland-Dubai route, which departs at 9:15pm daily.
Qatar Airways was named Airline of the Year at the 2022 World Airline Awards, marking the seventh time it claimed the Skytrax honour. Hamad International Airport was also named best in the world in 2021 and 2022, but this year that honour went back to Singapore Changi Airport.
"The direct Doha to Auckland service augments a number of new routes announced in recent weeks and enables passengers in key European markets including the UK and Ireland to save time with this direct connection," said Qatar Airways group chief executive Akbar Al Baker.
"Business Class passengers on board our Auckland flights can also enjoy the enhanced privacy of Qsuite, which has been awarded the Best Business Class Seat in the World."
Bookings for the nonstop Auckland-Doha flights opened this week.
