---
title: "London to Atlanta (LHR → ATL): distance and flight time · Orbit"
description: "London to Atlanta is 6,761 km (4,201 mi) great circle, an estimated 8h 54m 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/lhr-to-atl
---

LHR → ATL

# London to Atlanta: distance, flight time and the route it really takes

London Heathrow to Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta is 6,761 km of great circle — 4,201 mi — and an estimated 8h 54m in the air. It crosses from Europe to North America.

**Great circle**
6,761 km
4,201 mi

**Estimated in the air**
8h 54m
block time

**Furthest from equator**
53.8°N
at 23% along

**One lap of Earth**
16.9%
of 40,075 km

Of the [292 routes catalogued here](https://orbitflights.app/routes), this is the 98th longest.

The London to Atlanta route drawn as a great circle arc on a globe

## What the aircraft actually flies over

From London the path crosses United Kingdom, then Ireland, then 3,110 km of open water, then Canada, then 473 km of open water, then the United States.

The furthest the great circle gets from the equator is 53.8°N, 23% of the way along.

Flying the line that looks straight on a Mercator map — one constant compass bearing — would cover 7,086 km. That is 325 km further, about 5% more, and roughly 24m of extra flying.

Leaving London the aircraft points west (288°); it arrives into Atlanta heading south-west (225°). That is 63° of drift without a single turn — the compass moves because the path is a curve on a sphere, not because the aircraft does.

One economy seat on it is about 958 kg of CO₂e each way, counting non-CO₂ warming.

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

From

LHR

## London Heathrow

London, United Kingdom · Europe

51.5°N, 0.5°W

[LHR airport →](https://orbitflights.app/airports/lhr) [Flights to London →](https://orbitflights.app/flights-to/london)

To

ATL

## Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta

Atlanta, United States · North America

33.6°N, 84.4°W

[ATL airport →](https://orbitflights.app/airports/atl)

## London to Atlanta, asked and answered

**How far is London to Atlanta?**
London to Atlanta (LHR to ATL) is 6,761 km, or 4,201 mi, measured as great circle distance between the two airports.

**How long is the flight from London to Atlanta?**
About 8h 54m 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 London to Atlanta flight take?**
The great circle passes over United Kingdom, then Ireland, then 3,110 km of open water, then Canada, then 473 km of open water, then the United States. It reaches 53.8°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.

[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

[LHR → DEL London to Delhi 6,731 km](https://orbitflights.app/routes/lhr-to-del) [LHR → NBO London to Nairobi 6,841 km](https://orbitflights.app/routes/lhr-to-nbo) [LHR → MIA London to Miami 7,109 km](https://orbitflights.app/routes/lhr-to-mia) [LHR → ORD London to Chicago 6,344 km](https://orbitflights.app/routes/lhr-to-ord) [LHR → BOM London to Mumbai 7,213 km](https://orbitflights.app/routes/lhr-to-bom) [LHR → IAD London to Washington 5,902 km](https://orbitflights.app/routes/lhr-to-iad)

## 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/lhr-to-atl for language models and agents. Site index: https://orbitflights.app/llms.txt