The mammoth journey is now flown twice a week and spans three continents
The longest route in the world takes 29 hours(Image: VCG via Getty Images)
The world’s longest flight record was set last year with the launch of a new 29-hour route. It is now the longest in the world, spanning almost 20,000km, which is 12,427 miles.
The route is so long that the plane even needs to stop off to refuel. Passengers are in their seats for over a day as the plane travels from Shanghai, China, to Buenos Aires, Argentina.
It is flown twice a week by China Eastern Airlines. Due to the distance, the plane stops at Auckland Airport, New Zealand, to refuel.
Staff also get swapped around whilst at the stop, yet the passengers carry on. At almost 20,000km, the route is used to ship supplies between China, New Zealand and South America, as well as passengers.
It was launched on December 4 last year. The route from China to Argentina takes more than 25 hours, while the return leg takes an additional four.
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“This new route fills the gap in direct flights between Shanghai and major South American cities,” China Eastern Airlines said at the time of the first flight.
“It opens a ‘southbound corridor’ connecting opposite ends of the Pacific and reshapes air travel between three continents.” The staggering journey sees passengers board a jumbo 316-seat Boeing 777-300ER.
Before the launch of the route last year, the quickest available journey from Shanghai to Buenos Aires took 31 hours. It involved non-direct flights with a layover.
It is a popular route, as more than 55,000 people born in China live in the South American country, according to data from Simply Flying.
Data also showed that 96,000 passengers flew between China and Buenos Aires in the 12 months to September 2025, before the new route existed.
The flight has set the record for the longest commercial flight route in the world, yet it can’t secure the world’s longest direct flight route title because it makes a stop.
The title of the longest non-stop flight is currently held by Singapore Airlines. It takes 19 hours to travel from Singapore to New York.
However, it isn’t set to hold the record for long as Qantas is set to launch a new non-stop route next year. It is planning a 22-hour nonstop flight from Sydney, Australia, to London in 2027.
Thanks to a 20,000-litre fuel tank, the plane wouldn’t need to stop to refuel. It will travel 10,573 miles and has been labelled “the final frontier of long-haul travel” by Qantas.