- Great circle
- 8,753 km
- 5,439 mi
- Estimated in the air
- 11h 23m
- block time
- Furthest from equator
- 47.7°N
- at 52% along
- One lap of Earth
- 21.8%
- of 40,075 km
Of the 292 routes catalogued here, this is the 67th longest.
What the aircraft actually flies over
From Los Angeles the path crosses the United States, then 8,425 km of open water.
The furthest the great circle gets from the equator is 47.7°N, 52% of the way along.
Flying the line that looks straight on a Mercator map — one constant compass bearing — would cover 9,236 km. That is 482 km further, about 6% more, and roughly 36m of extra flying.
Leaving Los Angeles the aircraft points north-west (306°); it arrives into Tokyo heading south-west (236°). That is 70° of drift without a single turn — the compass moves because the path is a curve on a sphere, not because the aircraft does.
LAX
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, United States · North America
33.9°N, 118.4°W
Los Angeles to Tokyo, asked and answered
- How far is Los Angeles to Tokyo?
- Los Angeles to Tokyo (LAX to NRT) is 8,753 km, or 5,439 mi, measured as great circle distance between the two airports.
- How long is the flight from Los Angeles to Tokyo?
- About 11h 23m 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 Los Angeles to Tokyo flight take?
- The great circle passes over the United States, then 8,425 km of open water. It reaches 47.7°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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