China Southern Launches Shenzhen-Mexico City Route, Setting the Record as China’s Longest Nonstop Flight
May 11,2024-At 21:00 on May 11, CZ8031, the inaugural flight of Shenzhen-Mexico City route of China Southern, took off from Shenzhen Baoan International Airport, marking the official launch of China’s first direct passenger route to Latin America. With a total length surpassing 14,000 kilometers and a flight duration of approximately 16 hours, this route not only sets a new record as the longest direct international flight from China but also ranks among the top ten longest non-stop flight routes globally based on publicly available data analysis.
On the afternoon of that day, China Southern held the inaugural flight ceremony under the theme of "From Today, We Go Direct" at the Shenzhen airport. Guests from various sectors of society, media, and inaugural flight passengers all came together to witness the opening of the first direct route between China and Mexico.It is reported that China Southerns Shenzhen-Mexico City route operates two flights per week, with the Airbus 350 wide-body airliner in service. The outbound flight CZ8031 operates on Tuesdays and Saturdays, departing from Shenzhen at 21:00 Beijing time and arriving in Mexico City at 23:00 local time. The return flight CZ8032 operates on Wednesdays and Sundays, departing from Mexico City at 1:00 local time, making a technical stop in Tijuana, and arriving in Shenzhen at 12:20 Beijing time the following day.
Hou Ming, Deputy General Manager of China Southern Airlines Shenzhen Branch, introduced that the launch of the Shenzhen-Mexico City route was a significant initiative of China Southern to actively respond to the needs of economic and trade development and people-to-people exchanges between China and Latin America, and promote high-level opening up.
Mexico boasts a rich history and abundant tourism resources, which makes it one of the preferred outbound travel destinations for Chinese citizens. Mexico is also China’s second-largest trading partner in Latin America. There has been increasingly frequent exchanges and cooperation between the two nations, providing diverse sources of visitors who travel for leisure, business, visiting relatives, and labor services. This route not only facilitates bilateral people-to-people exchanges but also serves as a bridge for sustained communication and enhanced cooperation in areas such as tourism, economy, and culture between the two countries.
The initiation of the direct route will make travel between China and Latin America more efficient and convenient. Previously, travelers flying from China to Mexico or other Latin American countries often had to make one or two layovers in Japan, South Korea, North America, Europe, or the Middle East, with some transit points requiring transit visas and journey durations up to 30-40 hours. With the opening of this route, a non-stop flight to Mexico City takes only 16 hours, significantly shortening the overall travel time.
Additionally, China Southern has entered into aviation cooperation agreements with airlines such as Aeromexico. Through interline connections, it now enables travelers to not only reach major cities within Mexico, like Monterrey and Cancun, but also other popular South American destinations, such as Sao Paulo in Brazil, Buenos Aires in Argentina, and Lima in Peru. This service will also benefit travelers heading to Antarctica by reducing both distance and time. Furthermore, the route will offer increased convenience for passengers traveling between Latin America and Asian cities like Singapore, Bangkok, and Seoul via China.
The Shenzhen-Mexico City route is China Southern’s third intercontinental route from Shenzhen. Currently, China Southern operates 13 international and regional routes from Shenzhen, among which 3 are intercontinental routes to Mexico City, Sydney, and Moscow, and 10 are international and regional routes to destinations within Asia such as Dubai, Seoul, Singapore, Bangkok, and Taipei. Additionally, China Southern announced the launch of a non-stop Shenzhen-Riyadh flight route on June 3 this year. In the future, China Southern will accelerate the launch and restoration of international routes, further enhance its international route network, and improve transit services to provide passengers with superior and convenient air travel experiences.