Storyline: China Eastern Airlines' flight MU745 took off from Shanghai Pudong International Airport on Thursday, formally launching the world's longest one-way flight which connects Shanghai with Argentina's capital Buenos Aires and shortens the flight time from China to South America by over four hours to about 25 hours. The 20,000-kilometer route between China's economic hub and Buenos Aires, with a stopover in Auckland, New Zealand, connects the eastern and western hemispheres making it one of the most ambitious flight offerings in commercial aviation. Travelers between China and Argentina have long relied on routes passing through Europe or North America, often taking more than 30 hours including long stopovers. According to the Shanghai-based carrier, the new air service is planned to run twice a week on the round-trip basis. It not only expands connectivity between Asia and South America, but also marks a bold move in ultra-long-haul aviation, potentially reshaping global travel patterns for business and tourism between the two continents. "Compared to the traditional northbound route that transits through Europe, the Middle East, or North America, we chose this southbound route that makes a stopover in New Zealand before flying to Argentina, shortening the original nearly 30-hour journey to a 25- hour journey. This not only offers a shorter journey and consumes less time, but also provides more convenience thanks to visa-free transit policies and smaller time differences," said Liu Yanan, assistant general manager of the online revenue department of China Eastern Airlines' marketing division. The new air service includes a two-hour stopover in Auckland, New Zealand, where passengers are allowed to disembark, stretch, and refresh. Despite the layover, the service is classified as a "direct flight" since it uses the same aircraft and flight number for the entire journey. "Travelers are more willing to choose this route because it's shortened by at least five or six hours compared to the previous thirty-odd hours. Secondly, it's much more convenient as travelers don't have to change planes or transfer to other airlines although it has a stopover in Auckland," said a traveler. "When I came to China from Argentina, I had to go to Germany at a ten-hour stopover and it was like a 36-hour trip, and this one is 25 to 26 hours. So it's much faster, so yeah, it's better," said another traveler. Shotlist: Shanghai, China - Dec 4, 2025: 1. Various of passengers; boarding gates showing flight information; banner showing China Eastern Airlines plane to Buenos Aires 2. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Liu Yanan, assistant general manager, online revenue department, marketing division, China Eastern Airlines: "Compared to the traditional northbound route that transits through Europe, the Middle East, or North America, we chose this southbound route that makes a stopover in New Zealand before flying to Argentina, shortening the original nearly 30-hour journey to a 25- hour journey. This not only offers a shorter journey and consumes less time, but also provides more convenience thanks to visa-free transit policies and smaller time differences." 3. Various of plane with patterns of National Museum of China exhibits, China Eastern Airlines logo 4. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) traveler (name not given): "Travelers are more willing to choose this route because it's shortened by at least five or six hours compared to the previous thirty-odd hours. Secondly, it's much more convenient as travelers don't have to change planes or transfer to other airlines although it has a stopover in Auckland." 5. SOUNDBITE (English) traveler (name not given): "When I came to China from Argentina, I had to go to Germany at a ten-hour stopover and it was like a 36-hour trip, and this one is 25 to 26 hours. So it's much faster, so yeah, it's better." 6. Various of passengers; Shanghai-Buenos Aires flight information [Restrictions: No access Chinese mainland]