- Great circle
- 8,715 km
- 5,415 mi
- Estimated in the air
- 11h 20m
- block time
- Furthest from equator
- 51.5°N
- at 0% along
- One lap of Earth
- 21.7%
- of 40,075 km
Of the 292 routes catalogued here, this is the 68th longest.
What the aircraft actually flies over
From London the path crosses United Kingdom, then Belgium, then Germany, then Czechia, then Slovakia, then Ukraine, then Romania, then Ukraine, then 654 km of open water, then Turkey, then Iran, then Pakistan, then 1,765 km of open water, then India.
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 8,940 km. That is 225 km further, about 3% more, and roughly 17m of extra flying.
Leaving London the aircraft points east (93°); it arrives into Colombo heading south-east (141°). That is 48° 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 Colombo, asked and answered
- How far is London to Colombo?
- London to Colombo (LHR to CMB) is 8,715 km, or 5,415 mi, measured as great circle distance between the two airports.
- How long is the flight from London to Colombo?
- About 11h 20m 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 Colombo flight take?
- The great circle passes over United Kingdom, then Belgium, then Germany, then Czechia, then Slovakia, then Ukraine, then Romania, then Ukraine, then 654 km of open water, then Turkey, then Iran, then Pakistan, then 1,765 km of open water, then India. 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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