Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown, Immigration Minister Erica Stanford and Tourism and Hospitality Minister Louise Upston are among the guests.
“It’s going to be great for hospitality and tourism, but also really important for trade,” Upston told the Herald.
“What we do want to see is more of our goods going to markets like South America, and for Auckland Airport to be seen as a hub.”
‘World’s longest passenger flight’
Auckland Airport chief executive Carrie Hurihanganui said the new link positioned New Zealand as a strategic bridge between Asia and South America.
She said Auckland was now part of the world’s longest passenger route.
“This is really a monumental moment,” Stanford told the crowd.
She said the service would strengthen friendships with China and Argentina.
The China Eastern Airlines journey from Shanghai to Auckland to Buenos Aires takes 26 hours, and the return takes 29 hours.
During its stop in Auckland, everybody disembarks and the aircraft is cleaned and refuelled.
Some passengers can disembark or board in New Zealand but others will continue for the entire journey.
After getting fuel and a spruce-up, the Boeing 777-300ER twinjet leaves before arriving in the Argentine capital at 4.55pm, Buenos Aires time.
The flights will depart Shanghai every Monday and Thursday,
The return journey, MU746, will leave Buenos Aires every Tuesday and Friday at 2am, transit in Auckland for two hours, then land in Shanghai 29 hours after leaving Argentina.
Auckland Airport said the new, twice-weekly service positioned it as a strategic transit point linking Asia and South America.
Auckland Airport said the service was the first direct route between New Zealand and Argentina since 2020.
China Eastern first flew to New Zealand in 2014.
The airport said the new link should open opportunities for tourism, trade and cultural exchange.
About 40,000 South Americans lived in New Zealand, the airport said.
It said Asian destinations were also increasingly popular for Kiwis.
One in four international travellers, or 662,000 people, went to Asia in the past year, an increase of nearly 15%.
The airport said connectivity into China was growing after a time of disruption during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Air China, Air New Zealand, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Hainan Airlines and Sichuan Airlines now all fly direct from Auckland to mainland China.
Cathay Pacific flies direct to Hong Kong.
China Eastern, headquartered in Shanghai, is one of three major state-owned Chinese airlines.
The other two are Beijing-based Air China, and Guangzhou-headquartered China Southern Airlines.
John Weekes is a business journalist covering aviation. He has previously covered consumer affairs, crime, politics and courts.
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