World’s longest direct flight to connect China with Argentina

Chinese airline China Eastern plans to offer the world’s longest direct flight, starting next week.

The airline announced on Wednesday that from December 4 it will fly twice a week from the Chinese economic powerhouse Shanghai to the Argentinian capital Buenos Aires.

The Argentinian government approved the new route on Wednesday by publishing it in the official gazette.

Shanghai and Buenos Aires are almost exactly opposite each other on the globe. China Eastern estimates that the 20,000-kilometre route will take 25.5 hours for the outbound flight and 29 hours for the return.

However, the connection is not a non-stop flight. The Boeing 777-300ER aircraft will make a technical stop in the New Zealand city of Auckland, according to a report in the aviation magazine Aero, where the aircraft will be refuelled and the crew changed. Passengers will be allowed to leave the aircraft briefly during the two-hour stopover, Aero reported.

The direct connection also represents competition for Lufthansa. The German airline already offers a connecting flight between Shanghai and Buenos Aires via its Frankfurt hub.