The world’s longest commercial flight has touched down after spending almost 29 hours in the air and covering 12,400 miles – around half the circumference of the globe.
China Eastern Airlines’ historic service left Shanghai at 2am local time on Thursday, 4 December, and landed at Ezeiza International Airport in Buenos Aires just ahead of schedule at 4.45pm local time.
The marathon journey included a stop in Auckland, New Zealand, to refuel and allow crew changes, meaning it cannot claim the titles of the world’s longest non-stop flight.
Even so, the China–Argentina service now holds the crown as the world’s longest commercial flight route, taking more than 25 hours outbound, with the return leg stretching roughly four hours longer.
The milestone was marked with celebrations in both Shanghai and Buenos Aires, while Auckland staged a welcome ceremony for the arriving aircraft.
China Eastern will operate the route twice a week all year using a 316-seat Boeing 777-300ER, with the airline aiming to serve Argentina’s growing East Asian diaspora – one of the country’s fastest-expanding communities.
“This new route fills the gap in direct flights between Shanghai and major South American cities,” China Eastern Airlines said in a statement.
“It opens a ‘southbound corridor’ connecting opposite ends of the Pacific and reshapes air travel between three continents.”
The service surpasses Singapore Airlines’ 19-hour flight between New York and Singapore, which previously held the record for the world’s longest commercial route.
Long-haul records may soon be challenged again. Qantas has announced plans for its “Project Sunrise” flights linking Sydney with London and New York. The aircraft are expected to fly for up to 22 hours non-stop, aided by an extra 20,000-litre fuel tank.
The airline has branded the proposed London–Sydney service, due to launch in 2027 and covering 10,573 miles, as “the final frontier of long-haul travel”.
