Flight will connect two cities on opposite sides on the planet
China Eastern Airlines began selling tickets to its new route that connects Shanghai to Buenos Aires, on a route that the carrier promotes as the longest direct flight in the world.
The flight departs from Pudong International Airport (PVG) in Shanghai and is scheduled to last about 25.5 hours until it reaches the Minister Tracarini International Airport (Eze) in the Argentine capital. Already the return flight is expected to last impressive 29 hours, according to the airline based in Shanghai.
But there is one caveat: Both routes include a two -hour stop in Auckland, New Zealand, during which passengers can leave the plane to a break. Thus, although it is considered a direct flight, it is not without scales.
Several airlines have been trying to win the longest -flight title in the world as part of their marketing campaigns, but most experts agree that first place continues to belong to Singapore Airlines.
Singapore Airlines flight without Changi (Singapore) and JFK (New York) covers a distance of 15,349 kilometers in more than 18 hours of travel, a true resistance test that journalist Richard Quest of CNN experienced in October 2018.
China Eastern states that its new flight will be the world’s first commercial route to connect antipodic cities, ie cities located on opposite sides of the planet.
The airline opts for an unusual route south about some of the world’s most remote sea and near Antarctica, a choice that, according to China Eastern, helps to remove at least four hours for the total duration of the trip.
The Chinese company faces strong competition in the long -term flight title in the world, although for many passengers, the less time in the air, the better.
The Australian flag company Qantas is working on a project known as Project Sunrise, which aims to develop planes more adapted to passenger rest rhythms during ultra-long flights.
Qantas has been pursuing for years to make a flight without scales between Sydney and London, cities separated by about 16,000 kilometers.
