Flight MU745, operated by a Boeing 777-39P with a technical stopover in Auckland, reduces travel time between China and South America by more than four hours, surpassing previous records set by Xiamen Airlines and Singapore Airlines.
China Eastern Airlines set a new world record for the longest commercial passenger flight ever, connecting Shanghai to Buenos Aires, with a total duration of 25 hours and 30 minutes and around 20,000 kilometers covered.
Flight MU745 departed in the early hours of Thursday from Pudong International Airport, in Shanghai, heading to Ministro Pistarini Airport, in the Argentine capital. The connection, with a technical stopover in Auckland, New Zealand, reduces travel time between China and South America by more than four hours, the state-owned airline reported on social media.
The flight is operated by a Boeing 777-39P, which refuels and changes crew in Auckland before continuing the journey over the South Pacific.
A new route surpasses previous record for longest flight, held by Xiamen Airlines, with a direct connection between New York (JFK) and Fuzhou, in southeast China, lasting 19 hours and 20 minutes. It also beats Singapore Airlines’ ultra-long-haul flights between Singapore and Newark (7:10 pm) and JFK (6:55 pm) airports, as well as Air New Zealand’s connection between Auckland and JFK (5:45 pm).
Before this new connection, travel between Shanghai and South America required routes through the northern hemisphere — via Europe or North America –, with average times of around 30 hoursaccording to the
In a statement, China Eastern highlighted that the new route “fills a gap in direct links between Shanghai and major South American cities” and creates a “south corridor”which connects three continents and redraws the global aviation map.
The new generation of long-haul aircraft, such as the Airbus A350 and the Boeing 787, has allowed companies to offer increasingly longer direct flights, betting on a public willing to pay more to avoid long layovers and multiple connections.
China Eastern’s advance anticipates Australian Qantas’ ambition, which plans to launch a non-stop flight between Sydney and London in 2027 — around 15,200 kilometers in 22 hours — with the new Airbus A350-1000ULR.
