---
title: "London to Nairobi (LHR → NBO): distance and flight time · Orbit"
description: "London to Nairobi is 6,841 km (4,251 mi) great circle, an estimated 9h 00m 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-nbo
---

LHR → NBO

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

London Heathrow to Jomo Kenyatta is 6,841 km of great circle — 4,251 mi — and an estimated 9h 00m in the air. It crosses from Europe to Africa.

**Great circle**
6,841 km
4,251 mi

**Estimated in the air**
9h 00m
block time

**Furthest from equator**
51.5°N
at 0% along

**One lap of Earth**
17.1%
of 40,075 km

Of the [292 routes catalogued here](https://orbitflights.app/routes), this is the 97th longest.

The London to Nairobi route drawn as a great circle arc on a globe

## What the aircraft actually flies over

From London the path crosses France, then Italy, then 838 km of open water, then Italy, then 821 km of open water, then Libya, then Sudan, then South Sudan, then Kenya.

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 6,868 km. That is 27 km further, about 0% more, and roughly 2m of extra flying.

Leaving London the aircraft points south-east (136°); it arrives into Nairobi heading south-east (155°). That is 18° 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 969 kg of CO₂e each way, counting non-CO₂ warming.

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

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

NBO

## Jomo Kenyatta

Nairobi, Kenya · Africa

1.3°S, 36.9°E

[NBO airport →](https://orbitflights.app/airports/nbo) [Flights to Nairobi →](https://orbitflights.app/flights-to/nairobi)

## London to Nairobi, asked and answered

**How far is London to Nairobi?**
London to Nairobi (LHR to NBO) is 6,841 km, or 4,251 mi, measured as great circle distance between the two airports.

**How long is the flight from London to Nairobi?**
About 9h 00m 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 Nairobi flight take?**
The great circle passes over France, then Italy, then 838 km of open water, then Italy, then 821 km of open water, then Libya, then Sudan, then South Sudan, then Kenya. 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.

[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 → ATL London to Atlanta 6,761 km](https://orbitflights.app/routes/lhr-to-atl) [LHR → DEL London to Delhi 6,731 km](https://orbitflights.app/routes/lhr-to-del) [LHR → MIA London to Miami 7,109 km](https://orbitflights.app/routes/lhr-to-mia) [LHR → BOM London to Mumbai 7,213 km](https://orbitflights.app/routes/lhr-to-bom) [LHR → ORD London to Chicago 6,344 km](https://orbitflights.app/routes/lhr-to-ord) [LHR → DFW London to Dallas-Fort Worth 7,627 km](https://orbitflights.app/routes/lhr-to-dfw)

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