World’s Longest Route: China Eastern Expands 2025 Winter–Spring Flights

China Eastern Airlines (MU), which recently announced that it will the first airline based in mainland China to provide passenger services on all six inhabited continents, launched its highly anticipated winter‑spring 2025 schedule that was posted in Business Wire, and is set to:

• deploy 820 aircraft to cover 253 destinations across 39 countries
• serve 88 overseas points
• introduce what it describes as the world’s longest commercial scheduled route.

China Eastern’s is set to link continents and hemispheres, anchoring its network in China’s major hubs while tapping sun‑belt leisure markets in Australia, New Zealand and Southeast Asia during the Southern Hemisphere summer. The carrier was he second-busiest carrier int he nation for September, and you can read about it in our guide below:

[China’s Busiest Airports and Airlines and Routes for September 2025: Aviation Market Overview – Avio Space]

China Eastern’s New Schedule: All You Need to Know

Among China Eastern’s schedule features around 3,130 flights per day, some of the most notable ones are:

• Beijing (PEK) to Muscat (MCT)
• Shanghai (PVG)‑Auckland (AKL)‑Buenos Aires (EZE) corridor, slated to launch 4 December 2025 and stretching roughly 20,000 km.
• Daily‑high‑frequency services are also increasing on routes such as Shanghai–Hanoi, Xi’an–Phu Quoc, Kunming–Vientiane and Kunming–Phnom Penh.

The carrier is set to have an average of approximately 3,220 international and regional flights per week. It is stated that China Eastern’s inauguration of the Shanghai–Auckland–Buenos Aires route on December 4, 2025 is set to “connect the Eastern and Western Hemispheres as well as the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, becoming the world’s first commercial route linking antipodal cities and the world’s longest single flight“.

China Eastern’s new route htat is set to be the lonegest in the world is around 2,000 kilometers longer than Singapore Airlines’ Singapore – Houston via Manchester route. China Eastern’s operation of the longest-route is set to position the carrier at the cutting edge of ultra‑long‑haul network and leverage both emerging demand in the Southern Hemisphere and China’s hub‑connectivity ambition.

China Eastern’s “Sky Express” Strategic Layer

China Eastern’s “Air Express” brand will expand to 49 routes, operating about 899 flights per day, with core coverage centred on Shanghai, Beijing (PEK) and Guangzhou (CAN), while also covering cities, such as:

• Shenzhen
• Chengdu
• Xi’an
• Kunming
• Qingdao
• Chongqing
• Wuhan
• Changsha

Notably, the Beijing–Shanghai trunk will sustain 66 round‑trip flights daily, effectively providing departures every half‑hour during peak day hours, reported ShFlyLight:

“Furthermore, China Eastern Airlines maintains a high frequency of round-trip flights on international express routes such as Shanghai-Bangkok and Shanghai-Singapore. Taking advantage of visa-free policies in many countries in Southeast Asia and other regions, passengers can easily travel abroad.”

Alongside this, the airline has deployed all 11 of its COMAC C919 aircraft across 12 routes in 10 cities via 11 airports this season.

Which aircraft is China Eastern operating on the Longest Route in the World?

China Eastern is set to operate the Boeing 777-300ER aircraft on the longest route in the world: the carrier has twenty of these.  According to planespotters.net:

• These have an average age of 9.8 years.
• Aircraft registered B-7882 is the youngest aircraft of this type that China Eastern operates and is 8.3 years old
• Aircraft registered B-2001 is the youngest aircraft of this type that China Eastern operates and was delivered to the carrier in September 2014.

Some Additional Notes on China Eastern Airlines’ 2025 Winter-Spring Flight Season

For Double Ninth Festival, China Eastern has launched New Senior Products, such as the upgrade in its “Silver Wing Benefits” for older passengers. These include the following:

Promotion	Eligible Passengers	Benefits	Booking Method	Additional Services
Silver Wing Seniors Double Ninth Festival Leisure Tour	Individual travelers aged 55+	Up to 12% discount on select domestic fare classes	Book via China Eastern Airlines App	—
Silver Wing Seniors Double Ninth Festival Happy Journey	Small groups (3–9) aged 55+	¥50 discount per person per flight segment for every ¥300 spent (excluding taxes)	Book via China Eastern Airlines App	—
Companion Service	Passengers aged 55–70	Pre-bookable assistance for seniors	China Eastern Airlines App	Two options: Ground Guidance Service OR Full-Process Guidance Service at 16 airports, including Shanghai Pudong, Beijing Capital, Kunming, and Xi’an

China Eastern is set to introduce 38 new domestic routes, and its particularly focused on popular winter tourism destinations across China’s northeastern provinces and Xinjiang. It has also added several new seasonal “ice and snow” routes, and has added routes such as:

• Zhuhai–Changzhou–Shenyang,
• Ningbo–Changbai Mountain [Do not confuse Ningbo with Mingbo Airport in Nepal which is considered to be the most dangerous airport ever built]

Lukla Airport: Myths vs Facts of “the most dangerous airport”

• Changchun–Wuhan
• Lanzhou–Changchun
•  Kunming–Harbin
• expanded services on the Qingdao–Changchun route.