MODO AVIÓN

Buenos Aires to Chengdu flight path

AEP → CTUAEPCTU
The shortest path on the sphere. On a flat map it looks curved; on the globe it is a straight line.

Along the shortest route, the flight from Buenos Aires to Chengdu covers 11,370 miles (18,310 km) — about 21 h 30 min with no wind. It passes over or close to Argentina, Uruguay, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, India, Bangladesh and People's Republic of China. It crosses Río de la Plata, the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian Ocean: 64% of the route is over water. Today you leave on UTC−3 and land on UTC+8.

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From Aeroparque Jorge Newbery (AEP) to Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport (CTU) · AEP · CTU

AEPBuenos Aires
CTUChengdu
Great-circle distance
18,310 km
Duration, no wind
21 h 30 min
Over water
64 %
Time difference today
+11 h

The route drawn is the theoretical one — the shortest path on the sphere. The real aircraft follows airways, avoids storms and closed airspace, and rides the wind: it can be hundreds of kilometres off.

What countries do you fly over from Buenos Aires to Chengdu?

  • Argentina
  • Uruguay
  • Namibia
  • Botswana
  • Zambia
  • Malawi
  • Tanzania
  • India
  • Bangladesh
  • People's Republic of China
  • Río de la Plata
  • Atlantic Ocean
  • Indian Ocean
  • Arabian Sea

Which side of the plane to sit on to see Mount Gongga

To see Mount Gongga (7,556 m), sit on the right: it lies about 32 km from the route, ≈ 21 h 00 min into the flight.

Left window
  • Brandberg (2,579 m) ≈ 8 h 30 min
  • Kimhandu (2,653 m) ≈ 11 h 50 min
  • Dar es Salaam ≈ 12 h 05 min
  • Raipur ≈ 18 h 30 min
  • Ranchi ≈ 19 h 00 min
  • Dhanbad ≈ 19 h 05 min
  • Rangpur ≈ 19 h 30 min
  • Guwahati ≈ 19 h 50 min
  • Bairiga (6,882 m) ≈ 20 h 30 min
Right window
  • Montevideo ≈ 30 min
  • Lusaka ≈ 10 h 20 min
  • Sholapur ≈ 17 h 40 min
  • Jamshedpur ≈ 19 h 00 min
  • Hkakabo Razi (5,881 m) ≈ 20 h 30 min
  • Mount Gongga (7,556 m) ≈ 21 h 00 min

Left and right facing forward, on the theoretical route. Times are from take-off, with no wind.

Leg by leg

2 h4 h6 h8 h10 h12 h14 h16 h18 h20 hUTC+2UTC+3UTC+5:30UTC+6UTC+5:30UTC+8UTC−3Río de la PlataIndian OceanNamibKatanga PlateauWestern GhatsMount Gongga 7,556 m 32 kmBairiga 6,882 m 112 kmHkakabo Razi 5,881 m 5 kmKimhandu 2,653 m 101 kmBrandberg 2,579 m 110 kmDar es Salaam 21 kmLusaka 92 kmJamshedpur 71 kmDhanbad 15 kmRanchi 24 kmRangpur 78 kmSholapur 34 kmAEPCTU▲ Left window▼ Right window◀ Left windowRight window ▶2 h4 h6 h8 h10 h12 h14 h16 h18 h20 hUTC+2UTC+3UTC+5:30UTC+6UTC+5:30UTC+8Río de la PlataIndian OceanNamibKatanga PlateauWestern GhatsKhasi HillsBrandberg2,579 m · 110 kmKimhandu2,653 m · 101 kmDar es Salaam21 km off routeRaipur2 km off routeRanchi24 km off routeDhanbad15 km off routeRangpur78 km off routeGuwahati12 km off routeBairiga6,882 m · 112 kmMontevideo4 km off routeLusaka92 km off routeSholapur34 km off routeJamshedpur71 km off routeHkakabo Razi5,881 m · 5 kmMount Gongga7,556 m · 32 kmAEPCTUUTC−3

LandWaterCity, with its distance from the routePeakClock change

See the full list, leg by leg
  1. Take-off from Aeroparque Jorge Newbery
  2. Río de la Plata and Atlantic Ocean — 7,080 km without land61 km · ≈ 19 min into the flight
  3. Montevideo, Uruguay — on the right, 4 km away207 km · ≈ 30 min into the flight
  4. Below: Namib7,140 km · ≈ 8 h 25 min into the flight
  5. Land again7,140 km · ≈ 8 h 25 min into the flight
  6. Local time below changes: UTC−3 to UTC+27,140 km · ≈ 8 h 25 min into the flight
  7. Brandberg, 2,579 m — on the left, 110 km away7,180 km · ≈ 8 h 30 min into the flight
  8. Below: Khomas Highland7,200 km · ≈ 8 h 30 min into the flight
  9. Below: Kalahari Desert7,320 km · ≈ 8 h 40 min into the flight
  10. Below: Katanga Plateau8,300 km · ≈ 9 h 45 min into the flight
  11. Lusaka, Zambia — on the right, 92 km away8,750 km · ≈ 10 h 20 min into the flight
  12. Below: Muchinga Mountains9,150 km · ≈ 10 h 45 min into the flight
  13. Below: Great Rift Valley9,580 km · ≈ 11 h 15 min into the flight
  14. Local time below changes: UTC+2 to UTC+39,640 km · ≈ 11 h 20 min into the flight
  15. Kimhandu, 2,653 m — on the left, 101 km away10,110 km · ≈ 11 h 50 min into the flight
  16. Dar es Salaam, Tanzania — on the left, 21 km away10,270 km · ≈ 12 h 05 min into the flight
  17. Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea — 4,580 km without land10,310 km · ≈ 12 h 05 min into the flight
  18. Local time below changes: UTC+3 to UTC+5:3014,830 km · ≈ 17 h 20 min into the flight
  19. Below: Western Ghats14,890 km · ≈ 17 h 20 min into the flight
  20. Below: Deccan Plateau15,010 km · ≈ 17 h 30 min into the flight
  21. Sholapur, India — on the right, 34 km away15,130 km · ≈ 17 h 40 min into the flight
  22. Below: Indian subcontinent15,560 km · ≈ 18 h 10 min into the flight
  23. Raipur, India — on the left, 2 km away15,850 km · ≈ 18 h 30 min into the flight
  24. Below: Chota Nagpur Plateau16,110 km · ≈ 18 h 45 min into the flight
  25. Ranchi, India — on the left, 24 km away16,300 km · ≈ 19 h 00 min into the flight
  26. Jamshedpur, India — on the right, 71 km away16,350 km · ≈ 19 h 00 min into the flight
  27. Dhanbad, India — on the left, 15 km away16,420 km · ≈ 19 h 05 min into the flight
  28. Below: Indo-Gangetic Plain16,480 km · ≈ 19 h 10 min into the flight
  29. Local time below changes: UTC+5:30 to UTC+616,660 km · ≈ 19 h 25 min into the flight
  30. Rangpur, Bangladesh — on the left, 78 km away16,770 km · ≈ 19 h 30 min into the flight
  31. Local time below changes: UTC+6 to UTC+5:3016,840 km · ≈ 19 h 35 min into the flight
  32. Below: Khasi Hills16,900 km · ≈ 19 h 40 min into the flight
  33. Guwahati, India — on the left, 12 km away17,020 km · ≈ 19 h 50 min into the flight
  34. Below: Tibetan Plateau17,570 km · ≈ 20 h 25 min into the flight
  35. Bairiga, 6,882 m — on the left, 112 km away17,600 km · ≈ 20 h 30 min into the flight
  36. Local time below changes: UTC+5:30 to UTC+817,630 km · ≈ 20 h 30 min into the flight
  37. Hkakabo Razi, 5,881 m — on the right, 5 km away17,640 km · ≈ 20 h 30 min into the flight
  38. Mount Gongga, 7,556 m — on the right, 32 km away18,080 km · ≈ 21 h 00 min into the flight
  39. Below: Sichuan Basin18,240 km · ≈ 21 h 15 min into the flight
  40. Landing at Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport18,310 km · ≈ 21 h 15 min into the flight

Times assume a typical jet speed, no wind and an on-time departure. Good for orientation, not for your watch.

Which side the sun, sunrise or sunset will be on

Enter the day and take-off time. Your phone does the maths: the sun's position on every leg of the route, relative to the nose of the aircraft.

Take-offLanding

Sky: light is daytime, amber is sunrise or sunset, dark is night. Left and Right show which side the sun is on for each leg.

Follow the route offline in airplane mode

All of this on board and with no signal: with your phone in airplane mode, Modo Avión shows where you are, what's below and how long is left. GPS still works, because it only listens to satellites.

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Arriving in Chengdu

Chengdu
Chengdu · Photo: FISU · CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Flight time and distance

About 21 h 30 min with no wind, including half an hour of taxi, climb and descent. On a long flight the wind aloft can change that by more than an hour, differently each way.

11,370 miles (18,310 km, 9,880 nautical miles) along the great circle. The real flight covers a little more because it follows airways.

Time zones you cross

kmTimeZone
0 kmUTC−3Buenos Aires
7,140 kmUTC+2Windhoek
9,640 kmUTC+3Dar es Salaam
14,830 kmUTC+5:30Kolkata
16,660 kmUTC+6Dhaka
16,840 kmUTC+5:30Kolkata
17,630 kmUTC+8Shanghai

Airspace (FIRs) along the route

Each is a control region: when the aircraft crosses the boundary, the centre talking to the pilot changes. Boundaries are approximate, from the VATSIM data set, not the official ICAO chart.

  • Montevideo
  • Atlantico
  • Johannesburg Oceanic
  • Windhoek
  • Gaborone
  • Windhoek
  • Lusaka
  • Lilongwe
  • Dar-Es-Salaam
  • Nairobi
  • Seychelles
  • Mumbai
  • Chennai
  • Mumbai
  • Kolkata
  • Dhaka
  • Kolkata
  • Yangon
  • Kunming

FAQ

Where does the plane fly from Buenos Aires to Chengdu?

Along the shortest route, the flight from Buenos Aires to Chengdu covers 11,370 miles (18,310 km) — about 21 h 30 min with no wind. It passes over or close to Argentina, Uruguay, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, India, Bangladesh and People's Republic of China. It crosses Río de la Plata, the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian Ocean: 64% of the route is over water. Today you leave on UTC−3 and land on UTC+8.

What countries do you fly over from Buenos Aires to Chengdu?

It passes over or close to Argentina, Uruguay, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, India, Bangladesh and People's Republic of China, and crosses Río de la Plata, the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian Ocean. This is the theoretical route: the aircraft may deviate for wind or closed airspace.

How long is the flight from Buenos Aires to Chengdu?

About 21 h 30 min with no wind, including half an hour of taxi, climb and descent. On a long flight the wind aloft can change that by more than an hour, differently each way.

How far is Buenos Aires from Chengdu by plane?

11,370 miles (18,310 km, 9,880 nautical miles) along the great circle. The real flight covers a little more because it follows airways.

How much of the flight is over water?

64% of the route, about 11,650 km. The longest stretch without land is 7,080 km.

Why doesn't the plane fly in a straight line on the map?

It does fly straight — on a sphere. On a flat map the shortest path looks curved; on the globe on this page it looks like what it is.

Does GPS work in airplane mode?

Yes. GPS is a receiver: it listens to satellites and transmits nothing, so it keeps working in airplane mode. What you won't have is a map unless you downloaded it; Modo Avión carries its own.

More routes

The way back: Chengdu → Buenos Aires

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How this was calculated

The route is the great-circle arc between both airports, split into 300 points. At each point a point-in-polygon test runs against 1,102 airspace regions, 418 time zones and 1,338 physical geography regions. Countries are those with a town within 25 km of the route: in empty areas one may be missing. Cities named have over 250,000 people and lie within 110 km.

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