On December 4, 2025, China Eastern Airlines will debut a route covering over 10,600 nautical miles from Shanghai to Buenos Aires, a trip the airline calls “the world’s longest direct flight.” While technically true, the flight does include a two-hour technical stop in Auckland, New Zealand. The trip from China to Argentina takes 25 hours, and the return journey lasts 29.
A long-haul journey for hardy travelers
Tickets for the flight are on sale now, with service offered twice weekly aboard a Boeing 777-300ER between Shanghai’s Pudong Interntional Airport (PVG) and Buenos Aires’ Ministro Pistarini International Airport (EZE). Flights in either direction include the aforementioned stop in Auckland, giving passengers the chance to deplane, stretch their legs, and prepare for the second segment.
Though China Airlines’ new flight is an impressive feat, it isn’t the longest non-stop flight, which many agree belongs to Singapore Airlines’ trip between Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) and New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK). That covers 9,537 miles over 18 hours.
The China Eastern Airlines route follows an unorthodox southerly path, passing remote oceans and bordering Antarctica. According to the airline, this reduces trip time by roughly four hours. The carrier also added that the flight will be “the world’s first commercial route connecting antipodal cities”, referring to the cities being on opposite sides of the globe.
China Eastern isn’t the only airline chasing distance records. Qantas’ “Project Sunrise” seeks to fly the world’s longest non-stop flights, traveling between New York or London to Australia’s Melbourne and Sydney. Those trips would take 19+ hours and be aboard Airbus A350-1000 jets.
