- Great circle
- 9,460 km
- 5,878 mi
- Estimated in the air
- 12h 15m
- block time
- Furthest from equator
- 51.5°N
- at 0% along
- One lap of Earth
- 23.6%
- of 40,075 km
Of the 292 routes catalogued here, this is the 53rd longest.
What the aircraft actually flies over
From London the path crosses United Kingdom, then 6,693 km of open water, then Brazil.
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 9,487 km. That is 28 km further, about 0% more, and roughly 2m of extra flying.
Leaving London the aircraft points south-west (221°); it arrives into São Paulo heading south-west (207°). That is 15° of drift without a single turn — the compass moves because the path is a curve on a sphere, not because the aircraft does.
GRU
São Paulo/Guarulhos–Governor André Franco Montoro
São Paulo, Brazil · South America
23.4°S, 46.5°W
London to São Paulo, asked and answered
- How far is London to São Paulo?
- London to São Paulo (LHR to GRU) is 9,460 km, or 5,878 mi, measured as great circle distance between the two airports.
- How long is the flight from London to São Paulo?
- About 12h 15m 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 São Paulo flight take?
- The great circle passes over United Kingdom, then 6,693 km of open water, then Brazil. 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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