China Eastern will launch the world’s longest direct flight between Shanghai and Buenos Aires in December, with the return leg clocking in at a whopping 29 hours. The flight will include a stopover in Auckland, New Zealand, and will be operated by a Boeing 777-300ER.
This flight will cover a distance of over 12,100 miles, or approximately 19,100 kilometers, shattering the record of the world’s current longest direct flight (a flight including stopovers). In comparison, the world’s longest non-stop flight today (a flight that doesn’t make any stops along the way to its destination) from New York to Singapore covers about 9,500 miles, or 15,000 kilometers, with a flight time of 19 hours.
Despite the stop in Auckland, New Zealand, passengers will not be getting off and will remain onboard for the entire time.
The flight to Buenos Aires is clocked in at 25.5 hours, while the return flight will be 29 hours, thanks to the jet stream.
I love flying airplanes to death, but this is a ton of time to be in a metal tube for me. I think it gets to a certain point where the human body needs sunlight and physical activity to a certain extent, and this flight is really pushing the limits, whether you’re in economy or business class.
Today, the longest direct flight (a flight including stopovers) belongs to Air China and its service from Beijing to São Paulo with a stop in Madrid:
This flight covers a distance just shy of 11,000 miles, or approximately 17,500 kilometers. Interestingly, this flight goes the other way to South America, compared to the new China Eastern flight. Additionally, the Madrid stop lasts 2 hours.
Asia and South America are quite literally on the other sides of the planet, and these are some of the flights necessary to connect the two continents.
Featured image by WIkipedia.
