Chinese Airline Launches Longest Direct Flight

China Eastern Airlines has officially begun selling tickets for a new flight route connecting Shanghai to Buenos Aires, promoting it as“the longest direct flight in the world”, Azernews reports.

According to Business Insider, the southbound journey covers nearly 20,000 kilometers (12,427 miles) and takes approximately 25.5 hours, while the return leg lasts about 29 hours, making it one of the most ambitious flight offerings in commercial aviation.

Traditionally, travelers between China and Argentina have relied on routes passing through Europe or North America, often taking over 30 hours including long layovers. This new southern route significantly reduces total travel time and eliminates the need for multiple stopovers.

The flight includes a two-hour stopover in Auckland, New Zealand, where passengers are allowed to disembark, stretch, and refresh. Despite the layover, the service is classified as a direct flight since it uses the same aircraft and flight number for the entire journey. By international aviation standards, a "direct" flight may include stops, as long as passengers don't change planes or flight numbers. In contrast, a non-stop flight involves no layovers and uses the same aircraft from departure to arrival.

The route will be operated twice a week starting December 4, using the Boeing 777-300ER, a long-range wide-body aircraft designed for extended international travel.

Ticket prices reflect the length and exclusivity of the route. As of now, economy class one-way fares for December range between $1,538 and $2,270, while business class seats with lie-flat beds are priced from $5,000.

Despite its record-breaking distance as a direct flight, the longest non-stop commercial flight in the world remains Singapore Airlines' service between Singapore Changi Airport and New York's JFK Airport, which spans 15,349 kilometers (9,537 miles) and lasts over 18 hours.

This new route by China Eastern not only expands connectivity between Asia and South America, but also marks a bold move in ultra-long-haul aviation, potentially reshaping global travel patterns for business and tourism between the two continents.

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