---
title: "London to Washington (LHR → IAD): distance and flight time · Orbit"
description: "London to Washington is 5,902 km (3,667 mi) great circle, an estimated 7h 50m 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-iad
---

LHR → IAD

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

London Heathrow to Washington Dulles is 5,902 km of great circle — 3,667 mi — and an estimated 7h 50m in the air. It crosses from Europe to North America.

**Great circle**
5,902 km
3,667 mi

**Estimated in the air**
7h 50m
block time

**Furthest from equator**
53.8°N
at 27% along

**One lap of Earth**
14.7%
of 40,075 km

Of the [292 routes catalogued here](https://orbitflights.app/routes), this is the 110th longest.

The London to Washington 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 3,172 km of open water, then Canada, then the United States.

The furthest the great circle gets from the equator is 53.8°N, 27% of the way along.

Flying the line that looks straight on a Mercator map — one constant compass bearing — would cover 6,155 km. That is 253 km further, about 4% more, and roughly 19m of extra flying.

Leaving London the aircraft points west (289°); it arrives into Washington heading south-west (229°). That is 59° 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 836 kg of CO₂e each way, counting non-CO₂ warming.

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

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

IAD

## Washington Dulles

Washington, United States · North America

38.9°N, 77.5°W

[IAD airport →](https://orbitflights.app/airports/iad)

## London to Washington, asked and answered

**How far is London to Washington?**
London to Washington (LHR to IAD) is 5,902 km, or 3,667 mi, measured as great circle distance between the two airports.

**How long is the flight from London to Washington?**
About 7h 50m 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 Washington flight take?**
The great circle passes over United Kingdom, then Ireland, then 3,172 km of open water, then Canada, 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 → YYZ London to Toronto 5,707 km](https://orbitflights.app/routes/lhr-to-yyz) [LHR → EWR London to Newark 5,562 km](https://orbitflights.app/routes/lhr-to-ewr) [LHR → JFK London to New York 5,540 km](https://orbitflights.app/routes/lhr-to-jfk) [LHR → AUH London to Abu Dhabi 5,516 km](https://orbitflights.app/routes/lhr-to-auh) [LHR → DXB London to Dubai 5,498 km](https://orbitflights.app/routes/lhr-to-dxb) [LHR → ORD London to Chicago 6,344 km](https://orbitflights.app/routes/lhr-to-ord)

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