Flight distance calculator

Air distance as the crow flies between any two places, with an estimated flight time and the great-circle route aircraft start from.

Air route

33.9900°, -118.1800° · America/Los Angeles

-33.9200°, 151.1852° · Australia/Sydney

Flight distance (great circle)
12,070km
Est. flight time
15 h 35 min
Initial bearing
241°WSW
Time difference
+17 h

WGS-84 ellipsoid (Vincenty). Spherical haversine gives 12,080 km. Flight time assumes 800 km/h cruise + 30 min for taxi, climb and descent.

Rough flight times by distance

DistanceTypical exampleEst. time
347 km / 216 miLondon Heathrow – Paris CDG56 min
1,445 km / 898 miLondon Heathrow – Rome FCO2 h 18 min
5,555 km / 3,452 miLondon Heathrow – New York JFK7 h 27 min
9,615 km / 5,975 miLondon Heathrow – Tokyo Haneda12 h 31 min
12,050 km / 7,488 miLos Angeles LAX – Sydney SYD15 h 34 min
15,347 km / 9,536 miNew York JFK – Singapore SIN19 h 41 min

Still-air estimates (800 km/h cruise + 30 min). Scheduled block times add airport buffers and wind.

Kilometres, statute miles and nautical miles

Aviation and shipping use the nautical mile (exactly 1,852 m), originally one minute of latitude, so 60 nautical miles is one degree. Frequent-flyer programmes quote statute miles (1,609.344 m). Switch units above; your choice is remembered on this device.

Planning the trip? Check how to adapt to the new time zone and sunrise and sunset at your destination.

Frequently asked questions

How is flight distance calculated?

Flight distance is the great-circle distance between the two points: the shortest path over the Earth’s surface. CoordKit computes it on the WGS-84 ellipsoid. Airline mileage programmes and carbon calculators use the same basis, usually between airport coordinates.

How long is a flight of 1,000 km?

About 1 h 45 min gate to gate by our estimate: 30 minutes for taxi, climb and descent plus 75 minutes of cruise at around 800 km/h. Short hops are dominated by the fixed overhead; long-haul by cruise speed and winds.

Why is my eastbound flight shorter than the return?

Jet streams blow west to east at mid-latitudes, often at 150–300 km/h. Eastbound flights ride them; westbound flights fight them or route around them. A New York–London flight is often 45–60 minutes faster than London–New York.

What does “as the crow flies” mean?

The direct straight-line distance between two places, ignoring roads and terrain. For places far apart it means the great-circle distance, which is exactly what this calculator returns.

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