What’s the longest flight you’ve been on in your life? Eight, nine hours? Ventured into the double digits?
Well, even if you have, it probably won’t compare to the brand-new flight route from Shanghai to Buenos Aires, which is being launched by China Eastern Airlines at the end of this year.
Set to operate twice weekly from December 4 between Pudong International in China and Ministro Pistarini International in Argentina, flights MU745 and MU746 will journey a staggering 12,500 miles – that’s roughly half the circumference of the entire planet – and will reportedly claim the title of the world’s longest flight.
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According to CNN, the airline has announced it will be using wide-bodied Boeing 777-300 ER planes, and ticket prices have also been announced by the airline: for economy, it ranges between £1,130-1,670 ($1,525-2,254), and for business class, it’s more like £3,700 ($4,994).
But wait – didn’t we report a few months back that the ‘world’s longest flight’ was set to be launched by Australian airline Qantas in 2026? Yes, yes we did.
‘Project Sunrise’ has been in development for several years now, promising direct services from Sydney to New York and London at just over 19 hours. The difference is that this flight will claim the title of ‘longest direct flight’, a record currently held by Singapore Airlines.
The China Eastern Airlines service isn’t in the running for that crown, because it’s due to make a two-hour stopover in Auckland (though passengers likely won’t be able to leave the aircraft during that time, according to Business Insider).
For more on all things aviation news, keep an eye on our Travel News page.
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