China Southern Airlines will begin operating the county’s longest aviation route when its Shenzhen to Mexico City flight takes off on 17 April, multiple local media outlets report.
Totalling 14,147 kilometres, the flight – stopping over in Tijuana on the return leg – will be the longest in Chinese aviation history, overtaking the Guangzhou-New York service, which has a distance of 12,878 kilometres. Globally, the new flight will be ranked seventh, with the 15,332 kilometre New York to Singapore route in the top spot.
After the inaugural departure on 17 April, China Southern Airlines intends to carry out flights between the cities on a Boeing 787-9 or A350 jetliner every Monday and Thursday.
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The introduction of the new service is expected to help strengthen tourism, business and bilateral ties between the two countries.
In recent years, the relationship between China and Latin American countries has been growing substantially, with an increased number of Chinese companies investing heavily in the region.
Previously, China Southern had operated a flight to Mexico City, although it was indefinitely suspended following the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. Last year, the national aviation agencies of China and Mexico signed two memoranda of understanding to broaden air travel between the two nations.
