World’s longest plane journey takes flight: 29-hour journey from China to Argentina

Dubai: A new record for the world’s longest commercial flight route has been set by China Eastern Airlines, which has launched a 29-hour journey linking Shanghai and Buenos Aires, according to international media reports.

The flight covers around 12,400 miles, roughly half the circumference of the globe, making it the longest commercial airline route currently in operation.​

According to The Independent, the inaugural service left Shanghai at 2 am local time on 4 December. It arrived in Buenos Aires at 4.45 pm local time, touching down ten minutes ahead of schedule. The airline describes the route as a significant new connection between Asia and South America.​

The flight is operated with a stop in Auckland, New Zealand, where the aircraft is refuelled, and crews are rotated, according to reports. Because of this layover, the service does not qualify as the world’s longest non-stop or “direct” flight, but its total duration still makes it the longest commercial route door-to-door.​

“This new route fills the gap in direct flights between Shanghai and major South American cities,” China Easten said. The airline added that the service “opens a ‘southbound corridor’ connecting opposite ends of the Pacific and reshapes air travel between three continents”.​

A 316-seat Boeing 777-300ER operates the route twice a week year-round. China Eastern has said the service is aimed at Argentina’s sizeable East Asian diaspora, which is among the country’s fastest-growing communities.​

By overall journey time, the new China Eastern service has now overtaken Singapore Airlines’ New York–Singapore flight, which lasts about 19 hours and previously held the title for the world’s longest commercial service. Industry watchers have said the move highlights how airlines are competing to stretch the limits of ultra-long-haul travel.​

Australian carrier Qantas has also announced plans for its “Project Sunrise” flights between Sydney and cities such as London and New York, with non-stop sectors of up to around 22 hours expected from 2027. Meanwhile, Qantas has described its planned London–Sydney service, which will cover more than 10,500 miles, as “the final frontier of long-haul travel”.