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Passengers flying on an Emirates Airlines A380 out of Auckland from early next year will be able to take a shower en-route - if they can afford a first class ticket.
The airline unveiled the first of 58 of its A380s at a ceremony in Hamburg last night.
The A380 is the world's biggest passenger plane and will fly the Tasman route from next February 1. Return first class fares on existing Emirates aircraft across Tasman are around $2600.
Emirates is touting its cabin fitout of the aircraft as the finest and most comfortable in the sky.
It says the "jewel in the aircraft's crown" is its shower spa in the 14-seat first class compartment which has two fully equipped bathrooms, including shower facilities.
First class and the 76 business class passengers can also enjoy an onboard lounge with a horseshoe shaped bar designed to make passengers feel like they are in their own "executive club."
Another first class social area and bar is located at the front of the upper deck.
Emirates President Tim Clark said at a press conference passengers could not spend too long relaxing under the jets of water.
"The showers are regulated through a software programme that gives people a five-minute shower, which is ample in most cases."
A traffic light system would let passengers know how long they had left.
The extra 500kg of water impacts on attempts by Emirates and Airbus to cut weight in the double decker aircraft to cut fuel use.
It is he was looking for ways to trim weight off the aircraft, such as by reducing the amount of paper such as magazines in seat pockets.
The Dubai-based carrier is also highlighting the miserly fuel use per passenger, if the plane is full.
It will offer fuel economy as low as 3.1 litres per 100 passenger kms, which it says is better than that of a Toyota Prius hybrid passenger car.
The first five 489-seat, long range aircraft will be deployed on some of the carriers busiest routes including New York (August 1), London Heathrow (December 1) and Sydney and Auckland from next February.
Emirates has also ordered two other versions of the jet including three-class, 517-seat medium range and 604-seat, two-class medium range.
Singapore Airlines was the first to use the A380 on commercial routes but Emirates is the biggest customer for Airbus.
Chairman and chief executive of Emirates Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum said that while Emirates may not have been the first airline to receive the new generation aircraft, it was the first to place a firm order for it eight years ago.
"We have stood firm on our commitment to the A380. We congratulate Airbus for having created the greener, cleaner, quieter, smarter aircraft."
The airline's order of 58 A380s is worth about $67 billion.
It used the Hamburg ceremony to announce it had bought another 60 aircraft from the European aircraft maker as part of its expansionary drive.
It will buy 30 A330-300s and 30 A350-XWB widebody passenger planes as part of its plans to expand its growing international network.
Emirates has said it is planning to expand capacity by about 15 to 20 per cent next year.
The delivery of the A380 takes the Emirates fleet to 118, including 108 passenger aircraft and 10 freighters.
