Record-breaking world's longest flight is taking off before the end of 2025
Eye masks and neck pillows are essential
Featured Image Credit: Massimo Insabato/Archivio Massimo Insabato/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images
One airline will break a significant record by the end of the year with a journey that will end up being the world's longest ever direct flight, and it's almost guaranteed to leave you numb in certain areas.
While some flights have miraculously managed to 'time travel' by turning the clocks back in trips across the world, most airborne journeys tend to keep things within a respectable and comfortable timeframe, often through changeovers.
Even the best seat on the plane still can't save you from discomfort on a long haul flight, and it'll leave you desperate for snacks and drinks, making sure to avoid ones that will leave you in an even poorer state.
If you're a plane enthusiast or a masochist of any form then you might want to head over to Shanghai near the end of the year, as one adventurous airline has decided to launch what will become the longest direct flight in history this December.
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As reported by Islands, China Eastern Airlines have revealed a direct flight between Shanghai's Pudong International Airport (PVG) and Ministro Pistarini International Airport in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
This flight is scheduled to take place on December 4, 2025, and will travel roughly 10,600 nautical miles or 12,100 regular miles, effectively going from one side of the planet to the other on a Boeing 777-300 ER.
Both the outgoing and the return have different estimated flight times, with the trip from Shanghai to Buenos Aires taking roughly 25 hours and 30 minutes, whereas the trip back the way will leave you sat on the plane for a mind-blowing 29 hours in total, making it the longest flight in history.
Even the most seasoned of long distance travelers would struggle to cope with a journey that long, and it would only get worse if the plane managed to encounter a delay of some sort along the way.
There is expectedly a catch though, and while it remains a 'direct' flight – in that there is no changeover for the passengers on board – it doesn't qualify as 'non-stop' as the plane does land for a short while in Auckland, New Zealand.
This is presumably to do with the maximum range of the Boeing plane, even in its 'extended range' (ER) mode, which caps out at roughly 7,880 nautical miles.
The plane itself will stop off in Auckland for a total of two hours along the way, although it's not clear whether passengers will be allowed to leave their seats and explore the airport in the waiting period.
While you'd probably have to pay most people to sit on a plane for that long, the ticket itself will start at a staggering $1,718 one-way, with demand perhaps increasing this as people aim to be the first on board the world's longest flight.
China Eastern Airlines does claim that it serves to simplify routes and connections to South America, avoiding the connections it currently has to take in other areas of the world, but that still makes it a journey that many would rather avoid until it's absolutely necessary.