China Eastern Airlines has launched ticket sales for what it calls the “world’s longest direct flight,” linking Shanghai and Buenos Aires with a scheduled duration of up to 29 hours. The twice-weekly service, starting December 4, uses a Boeing 777-300ER and includes a two-hour stop in Auckland, meaning it is “direct” but not nonstop.
The unusual southerly flight path skirts near Antarctica, which the airline says shortens the journey by at least four hours. China Eastern claims the route will be the first commercial link between antipodal cities, branding it part of a new “Air Silk Road” between Asia-Pacific and South America.
However, aviation experts note that the true record for the world’s longest nonstop remains with Singapore Airlines’ 18-hour, 15,349 km Singapore–New York JFK route. Competitors like Qantas are also pursuing ultra-long-haul ambitions with Project Sunrise, targeting nonstop Sydney–London flights.