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Flight distance calculator

Pick two airports and see how far apart they are in miles, kilometres and nautical miles, and about how long the flight takes with no wind.

Type two airports, for example LHR and JFK, or London and New York.

Popular routes, worked out

RouteMilesKmNautical milesFlight time, no wind
London LHR to New York JFK3,4425,5402,9917h 09m
London LHR to Los Angeles LAX5,4438,7604,73011h 01m
London LHR to Dubai DXB3,4175,4982,9697h 06m
London LHR to Singapore SIN6,76210,8835,87613h 34m
London LHR to Sydney (Mascot) SYD10,57617,0219,19020h 55m
London LHR to Ingliston EDI3325342881h 08m
Manchester MAN to Dublin DUB16426414349m
London LHR to Paris (Roissy-en-France CDG21634818855m

Straight-line distances from airport positions (OurAirports, public domain). The time assumes 450 knots and 30 minutes for the ends, and no wind.

Put your airport on a print

Work out a route above, then choose either airport to see it on the print. The name and coordinates fill in for you. Pick a size and add it to your bag.

£17.99A4 · Poster

EDI EDINBURGH · UNITED KINGDOM 55.9501° N, 3.3723° W
Preview drawn from the print's own template and typeface. It shows EDI until you type.

Airport name, country and coordinates
Background
Format
Frame
Frame
Size

Free UK delivery. 4 to 9 working days.

  • Made to order
  • Arrives damaged or with a print fault? We reprint or refund it at our cost.
  • Secure payment by Stripe
  • Changed your mind? Send it back unused within 14 days of delivery
  • The file is emailed to you as a download link that stays live for 30 days
  • You can cancel within 14 days unless you ask us to send the file at once and confirm you lose that right
  • Secure payment by Stripe
What goes on each line

The airport code, large, as you type it. Below it, the airport name and the country in capitals, joined by a middle dot. Then the coordinates, exactly as typed. A long line is set smaller so it stays on the item; a line still too long for the item is named before you can add it.

Delivery and returns

Delivery times by format, how to report a fault and what we reprint are all on the delivery and returns page.

Getting the file

Save the file somewhere safe once it arrives. If anything looks wrong, reply to that email and we will put it right.

How the distance is worked out

The tool draws the shortest line between the two airports across the curve of the Earth. Pilots call it the great-circle distance. It uses the airport positions in the same list as our airport code lookup, so it's a straight-line figure, not the route an airline files. Real routes bend around weather, airspace and the jet stream, and usually fly a little further.

You get the answer in miles, kilometres and nautical miles. A nautical mile is 1.852 km, a little over a standard mile, and it is the unit pilots use for distance.

How the time is worked out

The time is a no-wind estimate. It takes the distance at a steady cruise speed, then adds a fixed allowance for taxiing, take-off, the climb, the descent and landing. We start with 450 knots, which is about 518 mph and is a typical cruise speed for a big jet, and 30 minutes for the ends. Change either number and the answer changes with it.

Wind is the big thing the estimate leaves out. A jet flying west across the Atlantic meets headwinds and takes longer than the same jet flying east, so the timetable is longer on the way out. Use the estimate to compare routes, and don't plan your day around it.

Put your route on the wall

Once you have a route, the two airports can go on a print. The airport code print sets a three-letter code in big type with the airport name and its position beneath, which suits the airport you flew from or the one you landed at.

Written by Craig Fearn, The Aviation Gift Co.

Questions, answered

How far is London to New York?
Heathrow to New York JFK is about 3,450 miles in a straight line, or 5,540 km. The route table on this page has the figure worked out from the airport positions, and the tool does any other pair.
How long is the flight from London to New York?
With no wind and a 450 knot cruise, the estimate is a little over seven hours. Timetables show about seven hours going west and a little less coming back east, because of the wind.
Why is a real flight longer than the straight-line distance?
Airlines fly around weather, closed airspace and the strongest headwinds, and they follow set air routes. All of that adds distance, usually a few percent.
What is a nautical mile?
It is 1.852 km, or about 1.15 standard miles. Pilots and sailors measure distance in nautical miles and speed in knots, which are nautical miles per hour.
Which airports can I use?
Every UK and Ireland airfield with an IATA code, other UK airfields with an ICAO code, and the large scheduled-service airports worldwide. It is the same list as the airport code lookup. Type a code like LHR, a four-letter code like EGLL, or a place name.