MODO AVIÓN

Buenos Aires to Shanghai flight path

EZE → PVGEZEPVG
The shortest path on the sphere. On a flat map it looks curved; on the globe it is a straight line.

Along the shortest route, the flight from Buenos Aires to Shanghai covers 12,180 miles (19,600 km) — about 23 h 00 min with no wind. It passes over or close to Argentina, Indonesia, the Philippines and People's Republic of China. It crosses the Atlantic Ocean, the Southern Ocean and the Indian Ocean: 61% of the route is over water. Today you leave on UTC−3 and land on UTC+8.

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From Ezeiza International Airport - Ministro Pistarini (EZE) to Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG) · EZE · PVG

EZEBuenos Aires
PVGShanghai
Great-circle distance
19,600 km
Duration, no wind
23 h 00 min
Over water
61 %
Time difference today
+11 h

The route drawn is the theoretical one — the shortest path on the sphere. The real aircraft follows airways, avoids storms and closed airspace, and rides the wind: it can be hundreds of kilometres off.

What countries do you fly over from Buenos Aires to Shanghai?

  • Argentina
  • Indonesia
  • Philippines
  • People's Republic of China
  • Atlantic Ocean
  • Southern Ocean
  • Indian Ocean
  • Great Australian Bight
  • Timor Sea
  • Savu Sea
  • Banda Sea
  • Molucca Sea
  • Celebes Sea
  • Visayan Sea
  • Sibuyan Sea
  • Samar Sea
  • Philippine Sea
  • East China Sea
  • Hangzhouwan
  • Yangtze

Which side of the plane to sit on to see Mount Kirkpatrick

To see Mount Kirkpatrick (4,528 m), sit on the right: it lies about 11 km from the route, ≈ 7 h 50 min into the flight.

Left window
  • Taipei ≈ 22 h 00 min
  • Taizhou ≈ 22 h 30 min
  • Jiaojiang ≈ 22 h 30 min
  • Ningbo ≈ 22 h 40 min
  • Shangyu ≈ 22 h 40 min
  • Cixi ≈ 22 h 40 min
Right window
  • Faure Peak (3,940 m) ≈ 7 h 10 min
  • Mount Fridtjof Nansen (4,069 m) ≈ 7 h 30 min
  • Mount Kaplan (4,230 m) ≈ 7 h 45 min
  • Mount Kirkpatrick (4,528 m) ≈ 7 h 50 min
  • Tatamailau (2,986 m) ≈ 17 h 40 min
  • Malingao ≈ 19 h 40 min
  • Budta ≈ 19 h 45 min
  • Cebu City ≈ 20 h 05 min
  • Zhoushan ≈ 22 h 40 min

Left and right facing forward, on the theoretical route. Times are from take-off, with no wind.

Leg by leg

2 h4 h6 h8 h10 h12 h14 h16 h18 h20 h22 hUTC+13UTC+8UTC+10UTC+8:45UTC+8UTC+9UTC+8UTC−3Atlantic OceanSouthern OceanSavu SeaAnvers IslandTransantarctic MountainsNullabor PlainPhilippinesMount Kirkpatrick 4,528 m 11 kmMount Kaplan 4,230 m 59 kmMount Fridtjof Nansen 4,069 m 67 kmFaure Peak 3,940 m 41 kmTatamailau 2,986 m 93 kmTaipei 79 kmNingbo 35 kmTaizhou 57 kmCixi 62 kmBudta 94 kmMalingao 97 kmCebu City 56 kmZhoushan 29 kmEZEPVG▲ Left window▼ Right window◀ Left windowRight window ▶2 h4 h6 h8 h10 h12 h14 h16 h18 h20 h22 hUTC+13UTC+8UTC+10UTC+8:45UTC+8UTC+9UTC+8Atlantic OceanSouthern OceanSavu SeaPhilippine SeaPampasAnvers IslandEllsworth MountainsClarie CoastNullabor PlainSulawesiTaipei79 km off routeTaizhou57 km off routeFaure Peak3,940 m · 41 kmMount Fridtjof Nansen4,069 m · 67 kmMount Kaplan4,230 m · 59 kmMount Kirkpatrick4,528 m · 11 kmTatamailau2,986 m · 93 kmMalingao97 km off routeBudta94 km off routeCebu City56 km off routeZhoushan29 km off routeEZEPVGUTC−3

LandWaterCity, with its distance from the routePeakClock change

See the full list, leg by leg
  1. Take-off from Ezeiza International Airport - Ministro Pistarini
  2. Below: Pampas0 km · ≈ 15 min into the flight
  3. Atlantic Ocean and Southern Ocean — 2,880 km without land457 km · ≈ 45 min into the flight
  4. Below: Falkland Islands1,900 km · ≈ 2 h 25 min into the flight
  5. Below: Anvers Island3,330 km · ≈ 4 h 05 min into the flight
  6. Below: Antarctic Peninsula3,460 km · ≈ 4 h 15 min into the flight
  7. Water starts: Southern Ocean3,590 km · ≈ 4 h 25 min into the flight
  8. Land again3,790 km · ≈ 4 h 35 min into the flight
  9. Below: Ellsworth Mountains5,160 km · ≈ 6 h 10 min into the flight
  10. Below: Transantarctic Mountains5,750 km · ≈ 6 h 50 min into the flight
  11. Faure Peak, 3,940 m — on the right, 41 km away5,980 km · ≈ 7 h 10 min into the flight
  12. Local time below changes: UTC−3 to UTC+136,010 km · ≈ 7 h 10 min into the flight
  13. Below: Queen Maud Mountains6,210 km · ≈ 7 h 25 min into the flight
  14. Mount Fridtjof Nansen, 4,069 m — on the right, 67 km away6,320 km · ≈ 7 h 30 min into the flight
  15. Mount Kaplan, 4,230 m — on the right, 59 km away6,500 km · ≈ 7 h 45 min into the flight
  16. Mount Kirkpatrick, 4,528 m — on the right, 11 km away6,590 km · ≈ 7 h 50 min into the flight
  17. Below: Queen Alexandra Range6,600 km · ≈ 7 h 50 min into the flight
  18. Local time below changes: UTC+13 to UTC+86,730 km · ≈ 8 h 00 min into the flight
  19. Below: Antarctic Plateau6,800 km · ≈ 8 h 05 min into the flight
  20. Below: Clarie Coast8,360 km · ≈ 9 h 50 min into the flight
  21. Local time below changes: UTC+8 to UTC+108,360 km · ≈ 9 h 50 min into the flight
  22. Southern Ocean and Indian Ocean — 3,790 km without land8,760 km · ≈ 10 h 20 min into the flight
  23. Below: Nullabor Plain12,550 km · ≈ 14 h 40 min into the flight
  24. Land again12,550 km · ≈ 14 h 40 min into the flight
  25. Local time below changes: UTC+10 to UTC+8:4512,550 km · ≈ 14 h 40 min into the flight
  26. Local time below changes: UTC+8:45 to UTC+812,680 km · ≈ 14 h 50 min into the flight
  27. Below: Great Victoria Desert12,870 km · ≈ 15 h 05 min into the flight
  28. Below: Western Plateau13,200 km · ≈ 15 h 25 min into the flight
  29. Below: Gibson Desert13,270 km · ≈ 15 h 30 min into the flight
  30. Below: Great Sandy Desert13,660 km · ≈ 15 h 55 min into the flight
  31. Below: Kimberley Plateau14,250 km · ≈ 16 h 35 min into the flight
  32. Water starts: Indian Ocean and Timor Sea14,510 km · ≈ 16 h 55 min into the flight
  33. Below: Bonaparte Archipelago14,510 km · ≈ 16 h 55 min into the flight
  34. Below: Lesser Sunda Islands14,960 km · ≈ 17 h 25 min into the flight
  35. Below: Timor15,030 km · ≈ 17 h 30 min into the flight
  36. Land again15,030 km · ≈ 17 h 30 min into the flight
  37. Tatamailau, 2,986 m — on the right, 93 km away15,130 km · ≈ 17 h 40 min into the flight
  38. Savu Sea and Banda Sea — 1,050 km without land15,160 km · ≈ 17 h 40 min into the flight
  39. Below: Malay Archipelago15,490 km · ≈ 18 h 05 min into the flight
  40. Below: Greater Sunda Islands15,950 km · ≈ 18 h 35 min into the flight
  41. Local time below changes: UTC+8 to UTC+915,950 km · ≈ 18 h 35 min into the flight
  42. Local time below changes: UTC+9 to UTC+816,010 km · ≈ 18 h 40 min into the flight
  43. Below: Sulawesi16,210 km · ≈ 18 h 55 min into the flight
  44. Land again16,210 km · ≈ 18 h 55 min into the flight
  45. Celebes Sea — 784 km without land16,270 km · ≈ 18 h 55 min into the flight
  46. Below: Philippines16,790 km · ≈ 19 h 35 min into the flight
  47. Malingao, Philippines — on the right, 97 km away16,930 km · ≈ 19 h 40 min into the flight
  48. Budta, Philippines — on the right, 94 km away16,930 km · ≈ 19 h 45 min into the flight
  49. Below: Mindanao17,060 km · ≈ 19 h 50 min into the flight
  50. Land again17,060 km · ≈ 19 h 50 min into the flight
  51. Cebu City, Philippines — on the right, 56 km away17,280 km · ≈ 20 h 05 min into the flight
  52. Below: Negros17,320 km · ≈ 20 h 10 min into the flight
  53. Water starts: Visayan Sea and Sibuyan Sea17,380 km · ≈ 20 h 15 min into the flight
  54. Below: Luzon17,640 km · ≈ 20 h 30 min into the flight
  55. Land again17,640 km · ≈ 20 h 30 min into the flight
  56. Philippine Sea and East China Sea — 1,900 km without land17,710 km · ≈ 20 h 35 min into the flight
  57. Taipei, Taiwan — on the left, 79 km away18,930 km · ≈ 22 h 00 min into the flight
  58. Taizhou, People's Republic of China — on the left, 57 km away19,330 km · ≈ 22 h 30 min into the flight
  59. Jiaojiang, People's Republic of China — on the left, 53 km away19,340 km · ≈ 22 h 30 min into the flight
  60. Ningbo, People's Republic of China — on the left, 35 km away19,470 km · ≈ 22 h 40 min into the flight
  61. Zhoushan, People's Republic of China — on the right, 29 km away19,470 km · ≈ 22 h 40 min into the flight
  62. Shangyu, People's Republic of China — on the left, 99 km away19,490 km · ≈ 22 h 40 min into the flight
  63. Cixi, People's Republic of China — on the left, 62 km away19,500 km · ≈ 22 h 40 min into the flight
  64. Landing at Shanghai Pudong International Airport19,600 km · ≈ 22 h 45 min into the flight

Times assume a typical jet speed, no wind and an on-time departure. Good for orientation, not for your watch.

Which side the sun, sunrise or sunset will be on

Enter the day and take-off time. Your phone does the maths: the sun's position on every leg of the route, relative to the nose of the aircraft.

Take-offLanding

Sky: light is daytime, amber is sunrise or sunset, dark is night. Left and Right show which side the sun is on for each leg.

Follow the route offline in airplane mode

All of this on board and with no signal: with your phone in airplane mode, Modo Avión shows where you are, what's below and how long is left. GPS still works, because it only listens to satellites.

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Arriving in Shanghai

Shanghai
Shanghai · Photo: MasaneMiyaPA · CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Flight time and distance

About 23 h 00 min with no wind, including half an hour of taxi, climb and descent. On a long flight the wind aloft can change that by more than an hour, differently each way.

12,180 miles (19,600 km, 10,590 nautical miles) along the great circle. The real flight covers a little more because it follows airways.

Time zones you cross

kmTimeZone
0 kmUTC−3Buenos Aires
6,010 kmUTC+13McMurdo
6,730 kmUTC+8Perth
8,360 kmUTC+10DumontDUrville
12,550 kmUTC+8:45Eucla
12,680 kmUTC+8Perth
15,950 kmUTC+9Jayapura
16,010 kmUTC+8Makassar

Airspace (FIRs) along the route

Each is a control region: when the aircraft crosses the boundary, the centre talking to the pilot changes. Boundaries are approximate, from the VATSIM data set, not the official ICAO chart.

  • Ezeiza
  • Comodoro Rivadavia
  • Mount Pleasant (Monte Agradable)
  • Comodoro Rivadavia
  • Punta Arenas
  • Pascua
  • McMurdo (Mac)
  • Brisbane Radio (Indian) 129.25
  • Melbourne (Alice Springs) 128.85
  • Melbourne (Newman) 125.4* (134.0)
  • Brisbane (Kimberley) 132.1* (123.85)
  • Brisbane (Ashmore) 133.4* (123.85)
  • Brisbane (Territory North) 123.85
  • Ujung Pandang
  • Manila
  • Fukuoka
  • Taipei
  • Shanghai

FAQ

Where does the plane fly from Buenos Aires to Shanghai?

Along the shortest route, the flight from Buenos Aires to Shanghai covers 12,180 miles (19,600 km) — about 23 h 00 min with no wind. It passes over or close to Argentina, Indonesia, the Philippines and People's Republic of China. It crosses the Atlantic Ocean, the Southern Ocean and the Indian Ocean: 61% of the route is over water. Today you leave on UTC−3 and land on UTC+8.

What countries do you fly over from Buenos Aires to Shanghai?

It passes over or close to Argentina, Indonesia, the Philippines and People's Republic of China, and crosses the Atlantic Ocean, the Southern Ocean and the Indian Ocean. This is the theoretical route: the aircraft may deviate for wind or closed airspace.

How long is the flight from Buenos Aires to Shanghai?

About 23 h 00 min with no wind, including half an hour of taxi, climb and descent. On a long flight the wind aloft can change that by more than an hour, differently each way.

How far is Buenos Aires from Shanghai by plane?

12,180 miles (19,600 km, 10,590 nautical miles) along the great circle. The real flight covers a little more because it follows airways.

How much of the flight is over water?

61% of the route, about 11,960 km. The longest stretch without land is 3,790 km.

Why doesn't the plane fly in a straight line on the map?

It does fly straight — on a sphere. On a flat map the shortest path looks curved; on the globe on this page it looks like what it is.

Does GPS work in airplane mode?

Yes. GPS is a receiver: it listens to satellites and transmits nothing, so it keeps working in airplane mode. What you won't have is a map unless you downloaded it; Modo Avión carries its own.

More routes

The way back: Shanghai → Buenos Aires

Look up another route

How this was calculated

The route is the great-circle arc between both airports, split into 300 points. At each point a point-in-polygon test runs against 1,102 airspace regions, 418 time zones and 1,338 physical geography regions. Countries are those with a town within 25 km of the route: in empty areas one may be missing. Cities named have over 250,000 people and lie within 110 km.

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