- Great circle
- 11,089 km
- 6,890 mi
- Estimated in the air
- 14h 17m
- block time
- Furthest from equator
- 77.8°N
- at 48% along
- One lap of Earth
- 27.7%
- of 40,075 km
Of the 292 routes catalogued here, this is the 29th longest.
What the aircraft actually flies over
From New York the path crosses the United States, then Canada, then 1,497 km of open water, then Canada, then 2,939 km of open water, then Russia, then China, then North Korea.
The great circle reaches 77.8°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 13,796 km. That is 2,707 km further, about 24% more, and roughly 3h 22m of extra flying.
Leaving New York the aircraft points north (344°); it arrives into Seoul heading south (195°). That is 148° of drift without a single turn — the compass moves because the path is a curve on a sphere, not because the aircraft does.
JFK
John F. Kennedy
New York, United States · North America
40.6°N, 73.8°W
New York to Seoul, asked and answered
- How far is New York to Seoul?
- New York to Seoul (JFK to ICN) is 11,089 km, or 6,890 mi, measured as great circle distance between the two airports.
- How long is the flight from New York to Seoul?
- About 14h 17m 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 New York to Seoul flight take?
- The great circle passes over the United States, then Canada, then 1,497 km of open water, then Canada, then 2,939 km of open water, then Russia, then China, then North Korea. It reaches 77.8°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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