---
title: "São Paulo to Rio de Janeiro (GRU → GIG): distance and flight time · Orbit"
description: "São Paulo to Rio de Janeiro is 336 km (209 mi) great circle, an estimated 55m in the air. The route, what it flies over, and why the short way is not the straight line on a map."
url: https://orbitflights.app/routes/gru-to-gig
---

GRU → GIG

# São Paulo to Rio de Janeiro: distance, flight time and the route it really takes

São Paulo/Guarulhos–Governor André Franco Montoro to Rio Galeão – Tom Jobim is 336 km of great circle — 209 mi — and an estimated 55m in the air. Both ends are in South America.

**Great circle**
336 km
209 mi

**Estimated in the air**
55m
block time

**Furthest from equator**
23.4°S
at 0% along

**One lap of Earth**
0.8%
of 40,075 km

Of the [292 routes catalogued here](https://orbitflights.app/routes), this is the 291st longest.

The São Paulo to Rio de Janeiro route drawn as a great circle arc on a globe

## What the aircraft actually flies over

From São Paulo the path crosses Brazil.

The furthest the great circle gets from the equator is 23.4°S, 0% of the way along.

Holding a single compass bearing the whole way would cover almost exactly the same ground, so on this route the flat map and the globe agree.

The heading barely moves: east out of São Paulo, east into Rio de Janeiro. Over this distance the curve has too little room to bend the compass.

One economy seat on it is about 50 kg of CO₂e each way, counting non-CO₂ warming.

[GRU–GIG carbon footprint →](https://orbitflights.app/tools/flight-carbon-calculator?from=GRU&to=GIG) [Map this route →](https://orbitflights.app/tools/flight-route-map?r=GRU-GIG)

From

GRU

## São Paulo/Guarulhos–Governor André Franco Montoro

São Paulo, Brazil · South America

23.4°S, 46.5°W

[GRU airport →](https://orbitflights.app/airports/gru) [Flights to São Paulo →](https://orbitflights.app/flights-to/sao-paulo)

To

GIG

## Rio Galeão – Tom Jobim

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil · South America

22.8°S, 43.3°W

[GIG airport →](https://orbitflights.app/airports/gig)

## São Paulo to Rio de Janeiro, asked and answered

**How far is São Paulo to Rio de Janeiro?**
São Paulo to Rio de Janeiro (GRU to GIG) is 336 km, or 209 mi, measured as great circle distance between the two airports.

**How long is the flight from São Paulo to Rio de Janeiro?**
About 55m 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 São Paulo to Rio de Janeiro flight take?**
The great circle passes over Brazil. It reaches 23.4°S 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.

[Why the shortest path is a curve →](https://orbitflights.app/blog/great-circle-routes-explained)

## Flown this one?

Orbit logs it in two taps and draws the arc on your own globe, along with every other flight you can remember. Free for your first 15.

[Download now](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.qwertybit.orbit)

## Nearby routes

[GRU → EZE São Paulo to Buenos Aires 1,723 km](https://orbitflights.app/routes/gru-to-eze) [GRU → SCL São Paulo to Santiago 2,615 km](https://orbitflights.app/routes/gru-to-scl) [MIA → GRU Miami to São Paulo 6,574 km](https://orbitflights.app/routes/mia-to-gru) [LIS → GIG Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro 7,715 km](https://orbitflights.app/routes/lis-to-gig) [MAD → GRU Madrid to São Paulo 8,378 km](https://orbitflights.app/routes/mad-to-gru) [LHR → GRU London to São Paulo 9,460 km](https://orbitflights.app/routes/lhr-to-gru)

## Further reading

[How many miles do you have to fly around the world?](https://orbitflights.app/blog/how-many-miles-to-fly-around-the-world) [What is on the exact opposite side of the world?](https://orbitflights.app/blog/opposite-side-of-the-world) [What's actually worth counting in a flight log](https://orbitflights.app/blog/what-is-worth-counting-in-a-flight-log)

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Markdown copy of https://orbitflights.app/routes/gru-to-gig for language models and agents. Site index: https://orbitflights.app/llms.txt