(CNN) — For the primary time in its historical past, Air New Zealand is providing direct flights between Auckland and New York Metropolis.

The extremely long-haul route will launch on September 17, 2022 from Auckland and is yet one more piece of thrilling information signaling New Zealand’s gradual reopening to world tourism.

The flights from Auckland will function as NZ2 and those originating from New York’s JFK airport can be numbered NZ1. These numbers symbolize simply how vital the brand new route is to Air New Zealand (ANZ).

“Historically, flight numbers 1 and a pair of are used for an airline’s flagship route. And that is what New York can be — our flagship route,” the airline’s CEO, Greg Foran, stated in a press release.

Every leg will function thrice per week on Boeing 787 Dreamliners. Tickets are already on sale on ANZ’s web site.

Vacationers from New Zealand will depart Auckland Airport (AKL) at 7:40 p.m., then spend 16 hours on board earlier than lastly arriving at JFK. Flights leaving JFK for Auckland will clock in at 17 hours and 35 minutes, thus including it to the record of the world’s longest flights.

“We have labored extremely arduous over the previous couple of years to make this extremely long-haul service a actuality,” Foran added. “To make sure clients arrive in New York feeling refreshed, we have put quite a lot of thought into the onboard expertise and groups are working across the clock to verify this an ideal flying expertise.”

Presently, the longest passenger flight on the planet runs between Singapore and JFK on Singapore Airways. It covers 9,534 miles and spends about 18 hours within the air.

Additionally in competition for one of many world’s longest routes is the flight from Perth in Western Australia to London on Qantas. It resumes on the finish of March after a pandemic-related pause.

Qantas’ lengthy dreamed-of direct flight between Sydney and London, dubbed “Venture Dawn,” can be a 19-hour-plus flight that can simply declare the number-one spot when launched. The undertaking was halted as Covid-19 broke out all over the world.
In an interview with CNN’s Richard Quest late final 12 months, Qantas CEO Alan Joyce stated the airline plans to revisit the event of those extremely long-haul routes in 2022, with an intention to launch within the following two to a few years.

The pandemic was accountable for many aviation-related data.

Usually, that flight entails a stopover in Los Angeles, however journey restrictions made that unattainable and brought about the airline to push by the whole journey with out risking a cease.

Air New Zealand already operates a number of itineraries between its homeland and america — directs to Chicago, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles and San Francisco — in addition to one to Vancouver simply north of the border in British Columbia, Canada.