Boeing-737 da China Eastern Airlines
The new route will connect Shanghai to Buenos Aires, with a 2-hour stopover in Auckland, and aims to beat the record for longest flight currently held by Singapore Airlines.
China Eastern Airlines is preparing to inaugurate what will become the longest scheduled commercial air route in the world: a journey of almost 20 thousand kilometers which connects Shanghai and Buenos Aires, with a stop in Auckland.
The marathon route, which begins operations on December 4, will far exceed the duration of any existing regular flight and reinforces China’s effort to expand global air connectivity.
The inaugural flight will depart Shanghai Pudong International Airport at 2:00 am (Beijing time) and head south, towards Aucklandwhere you will have a technical layover of 2 hours and 25 minutes. From there, the aircraft will continue east, crossing the Pacific Ocean and landing in Buenos Aires at around 4:30 pm local time. The total travel time on the way is an impressive 25 hours and 55 minutes, says .
Passengers returning to China will face an even longer journey. The return flight, heading west, is scheduled to depart Buenos Aires at 2:00 am (local time) and will make a new stop in Auckland, lasting two hours. After the stopover, the aircraft will begin the final section towards Shanghai, arriving at 6:00 pm, Beijing time, the following day, totaling one exhausting 29 hour journey.
After launch, the route will operate twice a weekon Tuesdays and Thursdays. While China Eastern has not publicly disclosed its motivations, aviation analysts point to Beijing’s broader effort to bolster international air links as the country expands its network of unilateral visa-free agreements. Argentina, now among nations offering visa-free entry to Chinese travelers, has growing economic ties with China with exports of beef, soybeans and lithium.
The airline’s new offer enters a long global dispute for the title of longest flight in the world. Although several airlines have claimed the title over the years, Singapore Airlines has consistently held the record recognized in its Singapore-New York JFK route. This route is around 15,349 kilometers and takes more than 18 hours, a mark that the new China Eastern route will surpass in distance, but not in a single non-stop section.
For aviation history enthusiasts, even this monumental journey pales in comparison to the longest long-haul flight on record. In 1959, two pilots flew over Las Vegas during an incredible 64 days, 22 hours and 19 minutescovering around 240 thousand kilometers, which corresponds to almost six trips around the world.
