- Great circle
- 12,758 km
- 7,928 mi
- Estimated in the air
- 16h 21m
- block time
- Furthest from equator
- 37.7°S
- at 0% along
- One lap of Earth
- 31.8%
- of 40,075 km
Of the 292 routes catalogued here, this is the 21st longest.
What the aircraft actually flies over
From Melbourne the path crosses Australia, then 3,285 km of open water, then Fiji, then 8,548 km of open water.
The furthest the great circle gets from the equator is 37.7°S, 0% of the way along.
Flying the line that looks straight on a Mercator map — one constant compass bearing — would cover 12,804 km. That is 46 km further, about 0% more, and roughly 3m of extra flying.
Leaving Melbourne the aircraft points north-east (65°); it arrives into Los Angeles heading north-east (60°). That is 5° of drift without a single turn — the compass moves because the path is a curve on a sphere, not because the aircraft does.
LAX
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, United States · North America
33.9°N, 118.4°W
Melbourne to Los Angeles, asked and answered
- How far is Melbourne to Los Angeles?
- Melbourne to Los Angeles (MEL to LAX) is 12,758 km, or 7,928 mi, measured as great circle distance between the two airports.
- How long is the flight from Melbourne to Los Angeles?
- About 16h 21m 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 Los Angeles flight take?
- The great circle passes over Australia, then 3,285 km of open water, then Fiji, then 8,548 km of open water. It reaches 37.7°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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