A Chinese airline has announced it will be launching the “world’s longest flight route” – a journey that will take around 29 hours to complete.
Flights MU746 and MU745 will be launched by China Eastern Airlines on 4 December between Buenos Aires and Shanghai, the airline announced this month.
It will cross 12,500 miles, which is around half of the circumference of the entire globe.
This flight will not, however, secure the title of the longest direct flight route, as the plane will make a two-hour stop in Auckland, New Zealand.
Business Insider reports that it is unlikely passengers will be able to leave the plane during the stopover.
China Eastern will fly the route using a wide-bodied Boeing 777-300 ER, and will operate the journey twice weekly, the airline said, according to CNN.
The departing flight, from Shanghai’s Pudong International Airport to Ministro Pistarini International Airport, in Argentina’s capital, will take 25 hours – four hours fewer than the return leg.
One-way economy tickets for flights in December are being advertised on China Eastern's website for between £1,130 and £1,670. Business class tickets are priced at around £3,700.
Many airlines often claim the title of having the “world’s longest” flight routes. Currently, Singapore Airlines has the longest non-stop commercial flight, which runs between Singapore and JFK in New York and takes between 18 and 19 hours.
Australian Airline Qantas’ “Project Sunrise” plans to usurp this time with 20-hour non-stop flights from Sydney to London and New York.
The airline currently operates a one-stop flight via Singapore, but the Project Sunrise flights would be the longest air link in the world. The airline has described the London-Sydney route, which covers 10,573 miles, as “the final frontier of long-haul travel”.
The project, which was announced over a decade ago, has faced setbacks, but is now set to be unveiled in 2027.
The Independent has contacted China Eastern for comment.
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