- Great circle
- 8,539 km
- 5,306 mi
- Estimated in the air
- 11h 07m
- block time
- Furthest from equator
- 51.5°N
- at 0% along
- One lap of Earth
- 21.3%
- of 40,075 km
Of the 292 routes catalogued here, this is the 72nd 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 406 km of open water, then Turkey, then Iraq, then Iran, then Oman, then 2,476 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 8,708 km. That is 169 km further, about 2% more, and roughly 13m of extra flying.
Leaving London the aircraft points east (100°); it arrives into Malé heading south-east (142°). That is 42° 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 Malé, asked and answered
- How far is London to Malé?
- London to Malé (LHR to MLE) is 8,539 km, or 5,306 mi, measured as great circle distance between the two airports.
- How long is the flight from London to Malé?
- About 11h 07m 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 Malé flight take?
- The great circle passes over United Kingdom, then Belgium, then Germany, then Austria, then Hungary, then Romania, then 406 km of open water, then Turkey, then Iraq, then Iran, then Oman, then 2,476 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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