China Southern Airlines is gearing up to inaugurate its new direct flight route from Shenzhen to Mexico City on May 11, marking a significant milestone in air travel between China and Latin America.

The Shenzhen-Mexico City route will also mark China Southern’s first direct flight to Latin America, and will be China’s longest direct international flight route, as well as the only direct passenger flight route to Mexico and Latin America from the Chinese mainland.

Operating twice weekly, this route will be serviced by Airbus A350 wide-body aircraft, with flight numbers CZ8031/2 for the round-trip journey. 

Flight information. Screenshot by That’s

Departures from Shenzhen are scheduled every Tuesday and Saturday at 9pm local time, with arrivals in Mexico City at 11pm local time, with a flight duration of approximately 16 hours. 

Return flights from Mexico City will depart at 1am local time, with a stopover in Tijuana, and arrive in Shenzhen at 12.20pm local time.

Industry analysts point out that China Southern’s decision to launch this route from Shenzhen is strategic, considering the city’s leadership in innovation, particularly in the fields of new energy vehicles and electronics. 

With Huawei already having established a subsidiary in Mexico and BYD’s plans to finalize the location of a Mexican factory by year-end, the potential for increased business ties between the two regions is evident. 

Mexico ranks second among the top 10 destinations for Chinese automobile exports, with an export volume of 415,000 vehicles in 2023, according to data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.

Previously, direct flight routes between the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Macao, and Mexico operated by Hainan Airlines and AeroMexico facilitated travel to destinations such as Mexico City, Cancun and Guanajuato in 2018 and 2019. 

However, Hainan Airlines and AeroMexico routes are no longer in operation.

It’s noteworthy that, while the world’s longest direct flight route is operated by Singapore Airlines from Singapore to New York, covering a distance of 15,332 kilometers with a flight time of approximately 19 hours, the Shenzhen-Mexico City route operated by China Southern will rank 8th on the list of the world’s longest flight routes.

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[Cover image via the Consulate General of Mexico in Guangzhou]