- Great circle
- 8,980 km
- 5,580 mi
- Estimated in the air
- 11h 40m
- block time
- Furthest from equator
- 55.0°N
- at 45% along
- One lap of Earth
- 22.4%
- of 40,075 km
Of the 292 routes catalogued here, this is the 63rd longest.
What the aircraft actually flies over
From Istanbul the path crosses 606 km of open water, then Russia, then Kazakhstan, then Russia, then Kazakhstan, then Russia, then Mongolia, then China, then 853 km of open water, then Japan.
The furthest the great circle gets from the equator is 55.0°N, 45% of the way along.
Flying the line that looks straight on a Mercator map — one constant compass bearing — would cover 9,724 km. That is 744 km further, about 8% more, and roughly 55m of extra flying.
Leaving Istanbul the aircraft points north-east (50°); it arrives into Tokyo heading south-east (135°). That is 85° of drift without a single turn — the compass moves because the path is a curve on a sphere, not because the aircraft does.
Istanbul to Tokyo, asked and answered
- How far is Istanbul to Tokyo?
- Istanbul to Tokyo (IST to NRT) is 8,980 km, or 5,580 mi, measured as great circle distance between the two airports.
- How long is the flight from Istanbul to Tokyo?
- About 11h 40m 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 Istanbul to Tokyo flight take?
- The great circle passes over 606 km of open water, then Russia, then Kazakhstan, then Russia, then Kazakhstan, then Russia, then Mongolia, then China, then 853 km of open water, then Japan. It reaches 55.0°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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