MODO AVIÓN

Shanghai to Buenos Aires flight path

SHA → AEPSHAAEP
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 Shanghai to Buenos Aires covers 12,200 miles (19,640 km) — about 23 h 05 min with no wind. It passes over or close to People's Republic of China, Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Australia and Argentina. It crosses the East China Sea, the South China Sea and the Sulu Sea: 65% of the route is over water. Today you leave on UTC+8 and land on UTC−3.

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From Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport (SHA) to Aeroparque Jorge Newbery (AEP) · SHA · AEP

SHAShanghai
AEPBuenos Aires
Great-circle distance
19,640 km
Duration, no wind
23 h 05 min
Over water
65 %
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 Shanghai to Buenos Aires?

  • People's Republic of China
  • Taiwan
  • Philippines
  • Indonesia
  • Australia
  • Argentina
  • East China Sea
  • South China Sea
  • Sulu Sea
  • Celebes Sea
  • Makassar Strait
  • Java Sea
  • Flores Sea
  • Savu Sea
  • Indian Ocean
  • Southern Ocean
  • Weddell Sea
  • Bransfield Strait
  • Atlantic Ocean

Which side of the plane to sit on to see Yushan Main Peak

To see Yushan Main Peak (3,952 m), sit on the left: it lies about 14 km from the route, ≈ 1 h 15 min into the flight.

Left window
  • Ningbo ≈ 25 min
  • Taipei ≈ 1 h 00 min
  • Yushan Main Peak (3,952 m) ≈ 1 h 15 min
  • Mount Pulag (2,934 m) ≈ 2 h 05 min
  • Quezon City ≈ 2 h 20 min
  • Caloocan ≈ 2 h 20 min
  • Fuyul Sojol (3,030 m) ≈ 4 h 10 min
  • Buntu Rantekambola (3,455 m) ≈ 4 h 40 min
  • Vostok Station (3,488 m) ≈ 14 h 20 min
Right window
  • Hangzhou ≈ 20 min
  • Shaoxing ≈ 25 min
  • Wenzhou ≈ 40 min
  • Taichung ≈ 1 h 10 min
  • Tainan ≈ 1 h 20 min
  • Kaohsiung ≈ 1 h 20 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+5UTC+7UTC+5UTC+13UTC+0UTC−3UTC+8South China SeaIndian OceanWeddell SeaLesser Sunda IslandsBudd CoastVostok Station 3,488 m 47 kmBuntu Rantekambola 3,455 m 76 kmFuyul Sojol 3,030 m 73 kmMount Pulag 2,934 m 53 kmQuezon City 81 kmSHAAEP▲ Left window▼ Right window◀ Left windowRight window ▶2 h4 h6 h8 h10 h12 h14 h16 h18 h20 h22 hUTC+5UTC+7UTC+5UTC+13UTC+0UTC−3South China SeaMakassar StraitIndian OceanWeddell SeaTaiwanWestern PlateauBudd CoastBerkner IslandNingbo30 km off routeTaipei61 km off routeYushan Main Peak3,952 m · 14 kmMount Pulag2,934 m · 53 kmQuezon City81 km off routeCaloocan72 km off routeFuyul Sojol3,030 m · 73 kmBuntu Rantekambola3,455 m · 76 kmVostok Station3,488 m · 47 kmHangzhou106 km off routeShaoxing65 km off routeWenzhou44 km off routeTaichung18 km off routeTainan59 km off routeKaohsiung46 km off routeSHAAEPUTC+8

LandWaterCity, with its distance from the routePeakClock change

See the full list, leg by leg
  1. Take-off from Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport
  2. Below: North China Plain0 km · ≈ 15 min into the flight
  3. Hangzhou, People's Republic of China — on the right, 106 km away107 km · ≈ 20 min into the flight
  4. Shaoxing, People's Republic of China — on the right, 65 km away137 km · ≈ 25 min into the flight
  5. Ningbo, People's Republic of China — on the left, 30 km away145 km · ≈ 25 min into the flight
  6. Water starts: East China Sea327 km · ≈ 40 min into the flight
  7. Wenzhou, People's Republic of China — on the right, 44 km away359 km · ≈ 40 min into the flight
  8. Taipei, Taiwan — on the left, 61 km away681 km · ≈ 1 h 00 min into the flight
  9. Below: Taiwan720 km · ≈ 1 h 05 min into the flight
  10. Land again720 km · ≈ 1 h 05 min into the flight
  11. Taichung, Taiwan — on the right, 18 km away786 km · ≈ 1 h 10 min into the flight
  12. Yushan Main Peak, 3,952 m — on the left, 14 km away860 km · ≈ 1 h 15 min into the flight
  13. Tainan, Taiwan — on the right, 59 km away917 km · ≈ 1 h 20 min into the flight
  14. Kaohsiung, Taiwan — on the right, 46 km away958 km · ≈ 1 h 20 min into the flight
  15. Water starts: South China Sea1,050 km · ≈ 1 h 25 min into the flight
  16. Below: Malay Archipelago1,370 km · ≈ 1 h 50 min into the flight
  17. Below: Philippines1,440 km · ≈ 1 h 55 min into the flight
  18. Below: Luzon1,510 km · ≈ 2 h 00 min into the flight
  19. Land again1,510 km · ≈ 2 h 00 min into the flight
  20. Mount Pulag, 2,934 m — on the left, 53 km away1,620 km · ≈ 2 h 05 min into the flight
  21. Quezon City, Philippines — on the left, 81 km away1,840 km · ≈ 2 h 20 min into the flight
  22. Caloocan, Philippines — on the left, 72 km away1,840 km · ≈ 2 h 20 min into the flight
  23. South China Sea and Sulu Sea — 1,700 km without land1,900 km · ≈ 2 h 25 min into the flight
  24. Below: Calamian Islands2,160 km · ≈ 2 h 45 min into the flight
  25. Below: Sulu Archipelago2,880 km · ≈ 3 h 35 min into the flight
  26. Below: Greater Sunda Islands3,010 km · ≈ 3 h 45 min into the flight
  27. Fuyul Sojol, 3,030 m — on the left, 73 km away3,400 km · ≈ 4 h 10 min into the flight
  28. Below: Sulawesi3,600 km · ≈ 4 h 25 min into the flight
  29. Land again3,600 km · ≈ 4 h 25 min into the flight
  30. Buntu Rantekambola, 3,455 m — on the left, 76 km away3,840 km · ≈ 4 h 40 min into the flight
  31. Makassar Strait and Java Sea — 1,900 km without land3,860 km · ≈ 4 h 40 min into the flight
  32. Below: Lesser Sunda Islands4,260 km · ≈ 5 h 10 min into the flight
  33. Below: Western Plateau5,890 km · ≈ 7 h 00 min into the flight
  34. Below: Hamersley Range5,960 km · ≈ 7 h 05 min into the flight
  35. Indian Ocean and Southern Ocean — 3,470 km without land7,400 km · ≈ 8 h 45 min into the flight
  36. Below: Budd Coast10,870 km · ≈ 12 h 45 min into the flight
  37. Below: Antarctic Plateau11,330 km · ≈ 13 h 15 min into the flight
  38. Local time below changes: UTC+8 to UTC+511,330 km · ≈ 13 h 15 min into the flight
  39. Vostok Station, 3,488 m — on the left, 47 km away12,230 km · ≈ 14 h 20 min into the flight
  40. Local time below changes: UTC+5 to UTC+713,030 km · ≈ 15 h 15 min into the flight
  41. Local time below changes: UTC+7 to UTC+513,160 km · ≈ 15 h 25 min into the flight
  42. Local time below changes: UTC+5 to UTC+1313,220 km · ≈ 15 h 25 min into the flight
  43. Local time below changes: UTC+13 to UTC+013,810 km · ≈ 16 h 10 min into the flight
  44. Local time below changes: UTC+0 to UTC−313,880 km · ≈ 16 h 10 min into the flight
  45. Weddell Sea and Southern Ocean — 4,780 km without land14,470 km · ≈ 16 h 55 min into the flight
  46. Below: Berkner Island14,600 km · ≈ 17 h 00 min into the flight
  47. Below: South Shetland Islands16,630 km · ≈ 19 h 20 min into the flight
  48. Below: Pampas19,250 km · ≈ 22 h 20 min into the flight
  49. Land again19,250 km · ≈ 22 h 20 min into the flight
  50. Landing at Aeroparque Jorge Newbery19,640 km · ≈ 22 h 50 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 Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires · Photo: ProtoplasmaKid · CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Flight time and distance

About 23 h 05 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.

12,200 miles (19,640 km, 10,610 nautical miles) along the great circle. The real flight covers a little more because it follows airways.

Time zones you cross

kmTimeZone
0 kmUTC+8Shanghai
11,330 kmUTC+5Vostok
13,030 kmUTC+7Davis
13,160 kmUTC+5Mawson
13,220 kmUTC+13McMurdo
13,810 kmUTC+0UTC
13,880 kmUTC−3Rothera

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.

  • Shanghai
  • Xiamen
  • Taipei
  • Manila
  • Kota Kinabalu
  • Ujung Pandang
  • Brisbane (Ashmore) 133.4* (123.85)
  • Brisbane Radio (Indian) 129.25
  • Melbourne (Onslow) 134.0
  • Melbourne (Newman) 125.4* (134.0)
  • Melbourne (Meekatharra) 132.0* (134.0)
  • Melbourne (Grove) 133.8* (118.2)
  • Melbourne (Dally) 124.8* (118.2)
  • Melbourne (Hyden) 118.2
  • Brisbane Radio (Indian) 129.25
  • Johannesburg Oceanic
  • Comodoro Rivadavia
  • Punta Arenas
  • Comodoro Rivadavia
  • Mount Pleasant (Monte Agradable)
  • Comodoro Rivadavia
  • Ezeiza

FAQ

Where does the plane fly from Shanghai to Buenos Aires?

Along the shortest route, the flight from Shanghai to Buenos Aires covers 12,200 miles (19,640 km) — about 23 h 05 min with no wind. It passes over or close to People's Republic of China, Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Australia and Argentina. It crosses the East China Sea, the South China Sea and the Sulu Sea: 65% of the route is over water. Today you leave on UTC+8 and land on UTC−3.

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

It passes over or close to People's Republic of China, Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Australia and Argentina, and crosses the East China Sea, the South China Sea and the Sulu Sea. This is the theoretical route: the aircraft may deviate for wind or closed airspace.

How long is the flight from Shanghai to Buenos Aires?

About 23 h 05 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 Shanghai from Buenos Aires by plane?

12,200 miles (19,640 km, 10,610 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?

65% of the route, about 12,770 km. The longest stretch without land is 4,780 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: Buenos Aires → Shanghai

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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