The world's longest one-way commercial airline route is now open for operation. China Eastern Airlines flight MU745 has arrived in Auckland.

On December 4th at 18:12 local time, China Eastern Airlines flight MU745 took off from Shanghai Pudong International Airport and landed in Auckland, New Zealand. The plane will stop in Auckland for 2 hours and 25 minutes before flying to Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina. This route, spanning the Eastern and Western hemispheres as well as the Northern and Southern hemispheres, covers approximately 20,000 kilometers and sets a new record for the world's longest single flight route, cutting the travel time between China and South America by over four hours. The new route fills a gap in direct flights from Shanghai to major cities in South America, creating a "Southern Passage" flight path spanning the Pacific Ocean and reshaping air travel between three continents. The route is operated by Boeing 777-300 wide-body aircraft, with the outbound MU745 flight operating every Monday and Thursday.