China Eastern Airlines will launch a Shanghai-Auckland-Buenos Aires route on Dec 4, creating the only direct air link between China and Argentina.

Covering 20,000 kilometers, the flight will set a new record as the world's longest commercial passenger route.

The service will be operated by Boeing 777 aircraft under flight numbers MU745/MU746, with two round-trip flights per week.

The outbound flights will depart from Shanghai Pudong International Airport at 2 am every Monday and Thursday, with the earliest arrival in Buenos Aires at 4:30 pm local time after a brief stopover in Auckland, for a total travel time of about 25.5 hours.

The return flights will leave Buenos Aires at 2 am local time every Tuesday and Friday, arriving in Shanghai at 6 pm the following day via Auckland, with a flight time of about 29 hours.

A one-way economy-class ticket, including tax, costs around 12,000 yuan ($1,690), while business class fares are priced at about 45,000 yuan ($6,320).

Due to the extreme distance and aircraft performance limits, nonstop flights between China and South America are currently not feasible.

Compared with the northern route via Europe or North America, China Eastern has chosen a southern route through New Zealand, offering a shorter distance, less travel time, and better time-zone alignment. Passengers and cargo can also board or disembark in Auckland.

Tickets for the new route are now available on China Eastern's mini-program, as well as on major online travel platforms such as Trip.com and Qunar.

Source: Shanghai Observer