Emirates' twice-daily Airbus A380 service to Auckland kicked off this week, making the country's largest city one of the few global destinations to have the service.

The airline was also celebrating the arrival of its 24th and 25th Airbus A380s and its 78th Boeing 777-300.

"With its large capacity and excellent operating economics, the A380 is one of the pillars of Emirates' future growth. Our A380s are specifically deployed on high density routes where extra capacity is needed and have been well-received by passengers," said Adel al Redha, Emirates executive vice-president of engineering and operations.
 
The airline plans to expand its A380 fleet to 31 by the end of the year, making it the largest A380 operator worldwide. It has another 65 jets on firm order as part of Emirates' overall 216 aircraft still to be delivered; worth US$62 billion (NZ$75b).

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