China Eastern Airlines will launch the Shanghai/Pudong–Auckland–Buenos Aires route on December 4.
It will operate two round trips per week, on Mondays and Thursdays. The aircraft will be the Boeing 777-300ER. The travel time is 25 hours 30 minutes to 25 hours 55 minutes from Shanghai/Pudong, and 29 hours from Buenos Aires. This shortens travel time by up to four hours.
The plan to launch the route was announced in June. From November, the New Zealand government has implemented a 24-hour transit visa waiver for Chinese nationals transiting in Auckland, allowing them to transit with only a New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority (NZeTA).
Shanghai and Buenos Aires are antipodes on opposite sides of the Earth, about 20,000 kilometers apart. By exercising fifth-freedom rights, the airline will also be able to load and unload passengers and cargo in Auckland. The one-way flight distance will be the longest in the world.
