The longest commercial flight from China takes you to Mexico City

(CNN) — China Southern Airlines will launch its first direct passenger flight from the Shenzhen megacity to Mexico City, setting the record for the longest non-stop scheduled commercial flight to originate in China.

The flight will cover an intercontinental distance of approximately 14,147 kilometers (8,790 miles) in each direction.

The inaugural flight will depart from the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen on May 11 and will make a 16-hour non-stop flight to Mexico City, according to information from China Southern Airlines. Flights depart on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

The return flight is a little more difficult, with an estimated flight time of 21 hours and 20 minutes. The service will start on Wednesdays and Sundays from May 12.

The slightly longer route to China includes a brief refueling stop in Tijuana, during which passengers must remain on board.

The tour uses flight code CZ8031/2 and will be operated by an Airbus A350 aircraft. Report From SZ News, a state-linked news agency based in Shenzhen.

The upcoming route surpasses China Southern Airlines' Guangzhou to New York flight, which covers a distance of 12,871 kilometers and is a non-stop commercial flight departing from a Chinese airport.

Currently, the 15,332 kilometer Singapore-New York route operated by Singapore Airlines is the longest non-stop flight in the world, lasting approximately 19 hours each way.

China Southern Airlines' new route displaces Singapore Airlines' Singapore-to-Los Angeles flight to take eighth place on the list of world's longest flights compiled by aviation analytics database OAG.

Last year, China reopened its borders to travelers for the first time since the start of the coronavirus pandemic in early 2020. Since then, airlines have been resuming routes that were canceled or significantly reduced during the pandemic, especially on long-haul flights. Across America and Europe.

China Southern Airlines was the first Chinese airline to operate flights to Mexico Guangzhou-Vancouver-Mexico City in April 2017, according to reports by Chinese state media agency Xinhua at the time.