- Great circle
- 8,861 km
- 5,506 mi
- Estimated in the air
- 11h 31m
- block time
- Furthest from equator
- 66.3°N
- at 39% along
- One lap of Earth
- 22.1%
- of 40,075 km
Of the 292 routes catalogued here, this is the 64th longest.
What the aircraft actually flies over
From London the path crosses United Kingdom, then 642 km of open water, then Sweden, then Finland, then Russia, then Mongolia, then China, then North Korea.
The furthest the great circle gets from the equator is 66.3°N, 39% of the way along.
Flying the line that looks straight on a Mercator map — one constant compass bearing — would cover 10,117 km. That is 1,256 km further, about 14% more, and roughly 1h 34m of extra flying.
Leaving London the aircraft points north-east (40°); it arrives into Seoul heading south-east (150°). That is 109° 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 Seoul, asked and answered
- How far is London to Seoul?
- London to Seoul (LHR to ICN) is 8,861 km, or 5,506 mi, measured as great circle distance between the two airports.
- How long is the flight from London to Seoul?
- About 11h 31m 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 Seoul flight take?
- The great circle passes over United Kingdom, then 642 km of open water, then Sweden, then Finland, then Russia, then Mongolia, then China, then North Korea. It reaches 66.3°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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