The world’s longest commercial flight has landed in New Zealand after a 9,032-mile (14,535km) flight from Doha.
“We’ve officially landed in Auckland,” Qatar Airways tweeted as flight QR920 landed at 7.25am (1825 GMT on Sunday), five minutes ahead of schedule after 16 hours and 23 minutes in the air.
The long-range Boeing 777-200LR crossed 10 time zones on its marathon flight.
There were four pilots on board, as well as 15 cabin crew who served 1,100 cups of tea and coffee, 2,000 cold drinks and 1,036 meals during the flight. Fares for the route start at 4,825 Qatari reals (£1,050) for a return economy flight, or 33,285 QAR (£7,250) in first class.
In keeping with international tradition to welcome inaugural flights, the Auckland airport rescue service showered the plane with water cannons on arrival.
New Zealand’s trade minister, Todd McClay, said the estimated economic impact of the new service would be well in excess of NZ$50m (£29.3m) with the increased freight capacity provided.
Doha-Auckland Flight Facts
Great Circle Distance: 14,533 km
Flight time DOH-AKL: 16 hours 20 minutes
Flight time AKL-DOH: 17 hours 30 minutes
Aircraft: Boeing 777-200LR
Source : The Guardian
