Flight Time Calculator
Estimate the flight time between major cities based on great-circle distance and typical aircraft cruise speed. Includes realistic door-to-door time with airport procedures.
Flight Time Guide
How Flight Times Are Calculated
Commercial aircraft cruise at 850–950 km/h (Mach 0.82–0.85). The great-circle distance (shortest path over the Earth's surface) is the basis for distance calculation. However, actual flight paths deviate from great-circle routes due to jet streams, airspace restrictions, and weather. Eastbound transatlantic flights benefit from the jet stream (200–300 km/h tailwind) and can be 45–90 minutes faster than westbound. London to New York: ~7 hours eastbound, ~8.5–9 hours westbound.
Door-to-Door Reality
Air time is only part of the journey. Realistic door-to-door adds: travel to departure airport (30 min–2 hours), check-in and security (1–2 hours short-haul, 2–3 hours long-haul), boarding and taxi (30–45 min), landing and taxi (20–30 min), passport control/customs (20 min–2 hours), baggage claim (15–45 min), and transfer to destination (30 min–2 hours). A 2.5-hour flight from London to Barcelona realistically takes 6–8 hours door-to-door from central London to central Barcelona.
Longest Commercial Flights
Singapore Airlines SQ22 (Singapore–New York Newark): approximately 18 hours 45 minutes, 15,349 km — currently the world's longest commercial flight. Qantas QF9 (Perth–London): approximately 17 hours, 14,498 km. Air India AI119 (San Francisco–Bangalore): approximately 17 hours, 13,986 km. These ultra-long-haul flights use specially built aircraft (A350-900ULR) optimised for passenger comfort and fuel efficiency over extreme ranges. Project Sunrise (Qantas) aims to connect Sydney with London non-s
Carbon and Environmental Impact
Aviation accounts for approximately 2.5–3.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions (including contrail effects). A return flight London–New York produces approximately 1.6 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent per passenger (including aviation factors). For context, the average UK person produces approximately 5 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent per year from all sources. Carbon offset programmes cover approximately £10–20 per tonne of CO₂ equivalent — meaningful but not a complete solution to aviation's climate impact.
Recommended for this calculator