- Great circle
- 5,516 km
- 3,427 mi
- Estimated in the air
- 7h 21m
- block time
- Furthest from equator
- 51.5°N
- at 0% along
- One lap of Earth
- 13.8%
- of 40,075 km
Of the 292 routes catalogued here, this is the 119th longest.
What the aircraft actually flies over
From London the path crosses United Kingdom, then Belgium, then Germany, then Austria, then Hungary, then Romania, then Bulgaria, then Turkey, then Syria, then Iraq, then 841 km of open water.
The furthest the great circle gets from the equator is 51.5°N, 0% of the way along.
Flying the line that looks straight on a Mercator map — one constant compass bearing — would cover 5,605 km. That is 89 km further, about 2% more, and roughly 7m of extra flying.
Leaving London the aircraft points east (101°); it arrives into Abu Dhabi heading south-east (138°). That is 37° of drift without a single turn — the compass moves because the path is a curve on a sphere, not because the aircraft does.
London to Abu Dhabi, asked and answered
- How far is London to Abu Dhabi?
- London to Abu Dhabi (LHR to AUH) is 5,516 km, or 3,427 mi, measured as great circle distance between the two airports.
- How long is the flight from London to Abu Dhabi?
- About 7h 21m 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 Abu Dhabi flight take?
- The great circle passes over United Kingdom, then Belgium, then Germany, then Austria, then Hungary, then Romania, then Bulgaria, then Turkey, then Syria, then Iraq, then 841 km of open water. It reaches 51.5°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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