- Great circle
- 12,382 km
- 7,694 mi
- Estimated in the air
- 15h 53m
- block time
- Furthest from equator
- 75.6°N
- at 54% along
- One lap of Earth
- 30.9%
- of 40,075 km
Of the 292 routes catalogued here, this is the 23rd longest.
What the aircraft actually flies over
From Delhi the path crosses India, then China, then Kazakhstan, then Russia, then 1,703 km of open water, then the United States, then Canada, then the United States, then 1,981 km of open water, then the United States.
The great circle reaches 75.6°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 14,961 km. That is 2,578 km further, about 21% more, and roughly 3h 12m of extra flying.
Leaving Delhi the aircraft points north (16°); it arrives into San Francisco heading south (162°). That is 145° of drift without a single turn — the compass moves because the path is a curve on a sphere, not because the aircraft does.
SFO
San Francisco
San Francisco, United States · North America
37.6°N, 122.4°W
Delhi to San Francisco, asked and answered
- How far is Delhi to San Francisco?
- Delhi to San Francisco (DEL to SFO) is 12,382 km, or 7,694 mi, measured as great circle distance between the two airports.
- How long is the flight from Delhi to San Francisco?
- About 15h 53m 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 Delhi to San Francisco flight take?
- The great circle passes over India, then China, then Kazakhstan, then Russia, then 1,703 km of open water, then the United States, then Canada, then the United States, then 1,981 km of open water, then the United States. It reaches 75.6°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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