Introducing the World's New Longest 1-Stop Flight

According to the Simpal flyhhyy It has applied to have fifth freedom rights, which would enable the carrier to transport passengers and freight between New Zealand and Argentina. The market has not had nonstop flights since Air New Zealand pulled out in 2020.

At a considerable 10,627 nautical miles (19,681 km) each way, it will be very much the world's new longest one-stop route (and the longest link overall). It will surpass the current longest one-stop service, Nouméa-Bangkok-Paris, which Aircalin operates, by 12%. That Pacific route became number one following the end of Singapore Airlines' flights to Houston via Manchester, which ended in March 2025.

Beginning in December, China Eastern will launch a twice-weekly first-class-equipped Boeing 777-300ER service from Shanghai to Buenos Aires via Auckland. Further details are currently unavailable. Booking data shows that just 19,000 round-trip passengers flew between Shanghai and Buenos Aires last year. Funnily enough, Ethiopian Airlines carried more passengers than any other carrier.

Despite the low volume, it was the largest China-Argentina market. In total, 74,000 people flew between the two countries last year, partly influenced by the large number of Chinese citizens in the South American nation. 

China Eastern will capture some of this, although its two-stop offering (in Shanghai and Auckland) will be less competitive, offset by its characteristic relatively low fares, even for very long flights. It will also stimulate traffic from the route's start, and Argentinians may now visit China visa-free for up to 30 days.

In addition, booking data shows that 10,500 passengers flew between Auckland and the Argentine capital. To avoid a substantial detour, nearly everyone connected in Santiago de Chile on LATAM's Auckland service. Significantly, traffic was down from 31,000 in 2019, when nonstop flights existed. China Eastern will be keen to recapture some of this lost volume