China Eastern launches world’s longest direct flight connecting Shanghai to Buenos Aires via Auckland

This new route is categorized as a "fifth freedom" flight—meaning China Eastern can pick up or drop off passengers in Auckland as part of its multi-leg journey under international aviation rights regulations.

Currently, nonstop air service between East Asia and South America is minimal due to distance constraints; no commercial aircraft can economically cover such long distances nonstop with a full payload. Air China's existing Beijing-São Paulo via Madrid service operates under similar circumstances.

Despite limited demand between Argentina and China—Argentina has a small Chinese community and modest business links—the airline expects strong traffic on the Shanghai-Auckland segment. China Eastern already operates daily flights on this sector with the same aircraft type, while Air New Zealand also flies daily between these cities using Boeing 787s.

The connection from Oceania to South America has seen recent growth as well. LATAM serves routes linking Santiago with Auckland, Melbourne, and Sydney using Boeing 787-9s; Qantas offers Sydney-Santiago flights with Boeing 787s four times per week. This marks Buenos Aires' first direct link to Oceania amid increasing regional connectivity.

As with other major Chinese carriers, China Eastern is majority-owned by the government. Route decisions may factor in not only profitability but also political considerations. "Rather than just load factors, yield, cost per available seat mile, revenue per available seat mile, or any number of quantitative performance data, the airline will also look at other metrics to determine its success." The airline's move aligns with China's ongoing efforts to strengthen economic ties with South American countries such as Argentina.

While there is market demand on both main segments—Shanghai-Auckland and Auckland-Buenos Aires—the overall viability of the full route may be influenced by broader political objectives alongside commercial interests.

The introduction of this service means China Eastern now connects all six inhabited continents through its network.