- Great circle
- 9,708 km
- 6,032 mi
- Estimated in the air
- 12h 34m
- block time
- Furthest from equator
- 68.7°N
- at 41% along
- One lap of Earth
- 24.2%
- of 40,075 km
Of the 292 routes catalogued here, this is the 45th longest.
What the aircraft actually flies over
From Paris the path crosses France, then Belgium, then Netherlands, then Sweden, then Finland, then Russia, then China, then Russia, then 704 km of open water, then Japan.
The great circle reaches 68.7°N, inside the Arctic circle — which is why the route looks like a detour over the top of the world on a flat map, and like the obvious line on a globe.
Flying the line that looks straight on a Mercator map — one constant compass bearing — would cover 11,320 km. That is 1,613 km further, about 17% more, and roughly 2h 00m of extra flying.
Leaving Paris the aircraft points north-east (34°); it arrives into Tokyo heading south-east (154°). That is 120° of drift without a single turn — the compass moves because the path is a curve on a sphere, not because the aircraft does.
Paris to Tokyo, asked and answered
- How far is Paris to Tokyo?
- Paris to Tokyo (CDG to HND) is 9,708 km, or 6,032 mi, measured as great circle distance between the two airports.
- How long is the flight from Paris to Tokyo?
- About 12h 34m in the air. That is an estimate from the distance at a typical airliner block speed, plus half an hour for taxi, climb and descent; published schedules vary with winds and routing.
- What route does a Paris to Tokyo flight take?
- The great circle passes over France, then Belgium, then Netherlands, then Sweden, then Finland, then Russia, then China, then Russia, then 704 km of open water, then Japan. It reaches 68.7°N at its furthest from the equator.
Where these numbers come from
Distances are computed from the two airports’ own coordinates, not looked up from published routes. Times are estimates, not schedules.
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