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Emirates maintains ultra-long-haul focus with top five longest Airbus A380 routes in 2025

Emirates maintains ultra-long-haul focus with top five longest Airbus A380 routes in 2025
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Tim Clark, President of Emirates | Emirates Airlines

Emirates is maintaining its focus on ultra-long-haul operations with the Airbus A380 in 2025, continuing to operate some of the world's longest nonstop flights using the superjumbo aircraft. Despite newer long-range aircraft entering service, Emirates relies on the A380 for high-demand routes, reflecting both strong passenger numbers and cargo needs.

The airline's top five longest nonstop A380 routes this year are Dubai (DXB) to Auckland (AKL), Los Angeles (LAX), Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW), San Francisco (SFO), and São Paulo (GRU). The Dubai–Auckland route is the longest, covering 8,810 miles and taking more than 16 hours each way. This daily service demonstrates how Emirates connects distant markets directly through its Dubai hub.

Other major routes include daily services to Los Angeles at 8,334 miles, Dallas/Fort Worth at 8,165 miles, San Francisco at 8,101 miles, and São Paulo at 7,591 miles. These flights reflect Emirates' commitment to serving diverse regions across North America and South America as well as providing critical links for business and leisure travelers.

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Flights between Dubai and Auckland require careful planning due to geography and weather patterns. While the great circle distance is about 8,810 miles, actual flight paths can be longer because of airspace restrictions or adverse weather conditions such as jet streams or storms. For example, recent data shows that distances flown between Auckland and Dubai can range from nearly 9,000 to over 9,200 miles depending on seasonal winds. Disruptions like airport closures—such as those experienced in Auckland during flooding in 2023—can also affect schedules.

The Dubai–Los Angeles route has been a significant part of Emirates’ network since October 2008. Over this period it has transported more than 3.5 million passengers and about 252,000 tonnes of cargo in both directions. The service provides not only direct travel but also important connections for passengers transiting through Dubai from regions such as South Asia and Africa. The bellyhold capacity supports trade by carrying goods including electronics, perishables, entertainment media, and fresh produce.

Emirates continues to expand its presence in Australasia with direct A380 flights to four Australian cities: Perth (daily), Melbourne (twice daily), Brisbane (twice daily), and Sydney (21 times weekly). On the Perth route specifically, Emirates remains the only airline operating an A380 service. These flights help support local jobs in aviation and tourism while offering additional export capacity for high-value or perishable goods from Australia.

In South America, Emirates operates a daily nonstop A380 flight between Dubai and São Paulo’s Guarulhos International Airport. This connection enables travelers from Brazil’s largest city to access destinations across Europe, Africa, Asia—and vice versa—without multiple stops. To accommodate the A380’s size requirements at São Paulo airport, significant infrastructure upgrades were made including improvements to gates and taxiways.

The airline’s ongoing investment in these ultra-long-haul routes underlines its strategy of leveraging the A380’s capacity for both passenger travel and cargo transport on key intercontinental sectors.

Organizations Included in this History
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