- Great circle
- 10,830 km
- 6,729 mi
- Estimated in the air
- 13h 58m
- block time
- Furthest from equator
- 69.6°N
- at 47% along
- One lap of Earth
- 27.0%
- of 40,075 km
Of the 292 routes catalogued here, this is the 31st longest.
What the aircraft actually flies over
From New York the path crosses the United States, then Canada, then the United States, then Russia, then 2,301 km of open water.
The great circle reaches 69.6°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 12,745 km. That is 1,916 km further, about 18% more, and roughly 2h 23m of extra flying.
Leaving New York the aircraft points north-west (333°); it arrives into Tokyo heading south-west (205°). That is 127° 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 Tokyo, asked and answered
- How far is New York to Tokyo?
- New York to Tokyo (JFK to NRT) is 10,830 km, or 6,729 mi, measured as great circle distance between the two airports.
- How long is the flight from New York to Tokyo?
- About 13h 58m 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 Tokyo flight take?
- The great circle passes over the United States, then Canada, then the United States, then Russia, then 2,301 km of open water. It reaches 69.6°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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