- Great circle
- 2,637 km
- 1,639 mi
- Estimated in the air
- 3h 47m
- block time
- Furthest from equator
- 38.3°S
- at 41% along
- One lap of Earth
- 6.6%
- of 40,075 km
Of the 292 routes catalogued here, this is the 174th longest.
What the aircraft actually flies over
From Melbourne the path crosses Australia, then 2,341 km of open water.
The furthest the great circle gets from the equator is 38.3°S, 41% of the way along.
Holding a single compass bearing the whole way would cover almost exactly the same ground, so on this route the flat map and the globe agree.
Leaving Melbourne the aircraft points east (98°); it arrives into Auckland heading east (79°). 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.
Melbourne to Auckland, asked and answered
- How far is Melbourne to Auckland?
- Melbourne to Auckland (MEL to AKL) is 2,637 km, or 1,639 mi, measured as great circle distance between the two airports.
- How long is the flight from Melbourne to Auckland?
- About 3h 47m 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 Melbourne to Auckland flight take?
- The great circle passes over Australia, then 2,341 km of open water. It reaches 38.3°S 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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