World’s longest flight route sees passengers in seats for 29 hours | Travel News | Travel

The record for the world’s longest flight was made last year with the introduction of a new 29-hour route. Now recognised as the lengthiest worldwide, it covers nearly 20,000km, equivalent to 12,427 miles.

Such is the extent of this route that the aircraft must make a stopover for refuelling. Passengers remain seated for over a day as the plane journeys from Shanghai, China, to Buenos Aires, Argentina. China Eastern Airlines operates this flight twice weekly.

Given the considerable distance, the aircraft halts at Auckland Airport, New Zealand, for refuelling.

Crew members are rotated during the stopover, whilst passengers continue their journey. Spanning almost 20,000km, the route facilitates the transportation of supplies between China, New Zealand and South America, in addition to carrying passengers.

This service was inaugurated on December 4 last year. The outbound leg from China to Argentina exceeds 25 hours, with the return journey adding an extra four hours.

« This new route fills the gap in direct flights between Shanghai and major South American cities, » stated China Eastern Airlines at the time of the inaugural flight.

« It opens a ‘southbound corridor’ connecting opposite ends of the Pacific and reshapes air travel between three continents. »

This astounding voyage sees passengers board a spacious 316-seat Boeing 777-300ER.

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Prior to the route’s introduction last year, the fastest available journey from Shanghai to Buenos Aires required 31 hours. This involved indirect flights with a stopover.

The route proves popular, with over 55,000 Chinese-born residents living in the South American nation, according to Simply Flying data.

Statistics also revealed that 96,000 travellers made the journey between China and Buenos Aires in the 12 months leading up to September 2025, before the new route commenced.

Whilst the flight has established the record for the world’s longest commercial flight route, it cannot claim the title of the world’s longest direct flight route due to its intermediate stop.

Singapore Airlines currently holds the distinction for the longest non-stop flight. The journey from Singapore to New York takes 19 hours.

Nevertheless, this record won’t stand for long as Qantas is preparing to introduce a new non-stop route next year. The airline is planning a 22-hour nonstop service from Sydney, Australia, to London in 2027.

Thanks to a 20,000-litre fuel tank, the aircraft won’t require a refuelling stop. Covering 10,573 miles, it has been described as « the final frontier of long-haul travel » by Qantas.