- Great circle
- 9,241 km
- 5,742 mi
- Estimated in the air
- 11h 59m
- block time
- Furthest from equator
- 63.0°N
- at 34% along
- One lap of Earth
- 23.1%
- of 40,075 km
Of the 292 routes catalogued here, this is the 56th longest.
What the aircraft actually flies over
From London the path crosses United Kingdom, then 531 km of open water, then Denmark, then Sweden, then Finland, then Russia, then Mongolia, then China.
The furthest the great circle gets from the equator is 63.0°N, 34% of the way along.
Flying the line that looks straight on a Mercator map — one constant compass bearing — would cover 10,325 km. That is 1,084 km further, about 12% more, and roughly 1h 21m of extra flying.
Leaving London the aircraft points north-east (47°); it arrives into Shanghai heading south-east (148°). That is 101° 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 Shanghai, asked and answered
- How far is London to Shanghai?
- London to Shanghai (LHR to PVG) is 9,241 km, or 5,742 mi, measured as great circle distance between the two airports.
- How long is the flight from London to Shanghai?
- About 11h 59m 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 Shanghai flight take?
- The great circle passes over United Kingdom, then 531 km of open water, then Denmark, then Sweden, then Finland, then Russia, then Mongolia, then China. It reaches 63.0°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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