The world's longest one-way flight route officially opens today.

Early this morning, China Eastern Airlines flight MU745 took off from Shanghai Pudong International Airport and will ultimately arrive in Buenos Aires, Argentina, via Auckland. This flight, spanning the East and West hemispheres as well as the North and South hemispheres, with a distance of approximately 20,000 kilometers, breaks the record for the world's longest single flight route and shortens the journey from China to South America by over four hours. The new route, which operates two round-trip flights per week, not only sets a new global record for flight distance but also fills a gap in direct flights from Shanghai to major cities in South America, creating a new flight path known as the "Southern Channel" that crosses the Pacific Ocean and reshapes air travel between three continents.