Auckland at the heart of China Eastern’s new Shanghai Auckland Buenos Aires link

• December 5, 2025
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New Zealand has secured a powerful new long-haul link, with China Eastern Airlines launching one of the world’s longest direct services – a Shanghai–Auckland–Buenos Aires route that firmly positions Auckland as a connector between Asia and South America.

The twice-weekly service links China Eastern’s Shanghai Pudong hub with Auckland Airport and onwards to Buenos Aires Ezeiza. Classified by the airline as a single direct service, the end-to-end journey takes around 25.5 hours from Shanghai to Buenos Aires and up to 29 hours on the return, including a two-hour transit in Auckland for connecting or terminating passengers.

Auckland Airport Chief Executive Carrie Hurihanganui said the new link deepens New Zealand’s aviation relationship with China while restoring direct access to Argentina, supporting tourism, trade and education flows. Air trade between New Zealand and South America reached NZ$129 million in the year to October 2025, up 11 per cent year-on-year, with around 94,000 passengers travelling between the two regions.

China Eastern, now the largest Chinese carrier serving New Zealand, connects Auckland with four cities across three continents and sees the new route as a symbol of growing cooperation and cultural exchange between China, New Zealand and South America.