MODO AVIÓN

Dubai to Los Angeles flight path

DXB → LAXDXBLAX
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 Dubai to Los Angeles covers 8,330 miles (13,400 km) — about 15 h 55 min with no wind. It passes over or close to the United Arab Emirates, Iran, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Canada and the United States. It crosses the Caspian Sea, Garabogazköl and the Barents Sea: 34% of the route is over water. Today you leave on UTC+4 and land on UTC−7.

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From Dubai International Airport (DXB) to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) · DXB · LAX

DXBDubai
LAXLos Angeles
Great-circle distance
13,400 km
Duration, no wind
15 h 55 min
Over water
34 %
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 Dubai to Los Angeles?

  • United Arab Emirates
  • Iran
  • Turkmenistan
  • Kazakhstan
  • Russia
  • Canada
  • United States
  • Caspian Sea
  • Garabogazköl
  • Barents Sea
  • Arctic Ocean
  • Northwest Passage

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

To see Mount Whitney (4,421 m), sit on the right: it lies about 23 km from the route, ≈ 15 h 20 min into the flight.

Left window
  • Yazd ≈ 1 h 05 min
  • Atyrau ≈ 3 h 05 min
  • Samara ≈ 3 h 50 min
  • Tolyatti ≈ 3 h 55 min
  • Kazan ≈ 4 h 10 min
  • Barbeau Peak (2,616 m) ≈ 9 h 15 min
  • Edmonton ≈ 13 h 05 min
  • Calgary ≈ 13 h 25 min
Right window
  • Oral ≈ 3 h 35 min
  • Kirov ≈ 4 h 35 min
  • Outlook Peak (2,210 m) ≈ 9 h 40 min
  • Sacajawea Peak (2,999 m) ≈ 14 h 10 min
  • White Mountain Peak (4,342 m) ≈ 15 h 10 min
  • Mount Whitney (4,421 m) ≈ 15 h 20 min
  • Bakersfield ≈ 15 h 30 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 hUTC+3:30UTC+5UTC+4UTC+3UTC+2UTC−4UTC−5UTC−6UTC−7UTC−6UTC−7UTC+4Barents SeaArctic OceanArabian PeninsulaCaspian DepressionCanadian Arctic ArchipelagoBirch MountainsMount Whitney 4,421 m 23 kmWhite Mountain Peak 4,342 m 34 kmSacajawea Peak 2,999 m 56 kmBarbeau Peak 2,616 m 58 kmOutlook Peak 2,210 m 17 kmCalgary 86 kmKazan 49 kmSamara 34 kmEdmonton 80 kmTolyatti 79 kmKirov 38 kmBakersfield 73 kmOral 19 kmAtyrau 14 kmDXBLAX▲ Left window▼ Right window◀ Left windowRight window ▶2 h4 h6 h8 h10 h12 h14 hUTC+3:30UTC+5UTC+4UTC+3UTC+2UTC−4UTC−5UTC−6UTC−7UTC−6UTC−7Barents SeaArctic OceanArabian PeninsulaCaspian DepressionCanadian Arctic ArchipelagoBarren GroundsRocky MountainsYazd17 km off routeAtyrau14 km off routeSamara34 km off routeTolyatti79 km off routeKazan49 km off routeBarbeau Peak2,616 m · 58 kmEdmonton80 km off routeCalgary86 km off routeOral19 km off routeKirov38 km off routeOutlook Peak2,210 m · 17 kmSacajawea Peak2,999 m · 56 kmWhite Mountain Peak4,342 m · 34 kmMount Whitney4,421 m · 23 kmDXBLAXUTC+4

LandWaterCity, with its distance from the routePeakClock change

See the full list, leg by leg
  1. Take-off from Dubai International Airport
  2. Below: Arabian Peninsula0 km · ≈ 15 min into the flight
  3. Local time below changes: UTC+4 to UTC+3:30134 km · ≈ 25 min into the flight
  4. Below: Zagros Mountains223 km · ≈ 30 min into the flight
  5. Below: Kuhrud Mountains491 km · ≈ 50 min into the flight
  6. Yazd, Iran — on the left, 17 km away745 km · ≈ 1 h 05 min into the flight
  7. Below: Dasht-e Kavir1,030 km · ≈ 1 h 25 min into the flight
  8. Below: Elburz Mountains1,210 km · ≈ 1 h 40 min into the flight
  9. Water starts: Caspian Sea1,300 km · ≈ 1 h 45 min into the flight
  10. Local time below changes: UTC+3:30 to UTC+51,380 km · ≈ 1 h 50 min into the flight
  11. Land again1,650 km · ≈ 2 h 10 min into the flight
  12. Water starts: Garabogazköl1,740 km · ≈ 2 h 15 min into the flight
  13. Below: Caspian Depression2,140 km · ≈ 2 h 45 min into the flight
  14. Water starts: Caspian Sea2,280 km · ≈ 2 h 50 min into the flight
  15. Atyrau, Kazakhstan — on the left, 14 km away2,450 km · ≈ 3 h 05 min into the flight
  16. Below: Pontic-Caspian steppe2,680 km · ≈ 3 h 20 min into the flight
  17. Oral, Kazakhstan — on the right, 19 km away2,910 km · ≈ 3 h 35 min into the flight
  18. Local time below changes: UTC+5 to UTC+42,990 km · ≈ 3 h 40 min into the flight
  19. Samara, Russia — on the left, 34 km away3,140 km · ≈ 3 h 50 min into the flight
  20. Tolyatti, Russia — on the left, 79 km away3,180 km · ≈ 3 h 55 min into the flight
  21. Local time below changes: UTC+4 to UTC+33,310 km · ≈ 4 h 05 min into the flight
  22. Kazan, Russia — on the left, 49 km away3,430 km · ≈ 4 h 10 min into the flight
  23. Kirov, Russia — on the right, 38 km away3,740 km · ≈ 4 h 35 min into the flight
  24. Below: North European Plain3,930 km · ≈ 4 h 45 min into the flight
  25. Below: Kanin Peninsula4,730 km · ≈ 5 h 40 min into the flight
  26. Barents Sea — 1,340 km without land4,910 km · ≈ 5 h 55 min into the flight
  27. Below: Svalbard6,030 km · ≈ 7 h 10 min into the flight
  28. Local time below changes: UTC+3 to UTC+26,120 km · ≈ 7 h 15 min into the flight
  29. Below: Nordaustlandet6,250 km · ≈ 7 h 25 min into the flight
  30. Land again6,250 km · ≈ 7 h 25 min into the flight
  31. Arctic Ocean — 1,380 km without land6,300 km · ≈ 7 h 30 min into the flight
  32. Below: Canadian Arctic Archipelago7,590 km · ≈ 9 h 00 min into the flight
  33. Below: Queen Elizabeth Islands7,640 km · ≈ 9 h 00 min into the flight
  34. Local time below changes: UTC+2 to UTC−47,640 km · ≈ 9 h 00 min into the flight
  35. Below: Ellesmere Island7,680 km · ≈ 9 h 05 min into the flight
  36. Land again7,680 km · ≈ 9 h 05 min into the flight
  37. Barbeau Peak, 2,616 m — on the left, 58 km away7,800 km · ≈ 9 h 15 min into the flight
  38. Local time below changes: UTC−4 to UTC−58,000 km · ≈ 9 h 25 min into the flight
  39. Below: Axel Heiberg Island8,080 km · ≈ 9 h 35 min into the flight
  40. Outlook Peak, 2,210 m — on the right, 17 km away8,170 km · ≈ 9 h 40 min into the flight
  41. Northwest Passage — 804 km without land8,310 km · ≈ 9 h 50 min into the flight
  42. Below: Bathurst Island8,580 km · ≈ 10 h 05 min into the flight
  43. Local time below changes: UTC−5 to UTC−68,800 km · ≈ 10 h 20 min into the flight
  44. Below: Victoria Island9,110 km · ≈ 10 h 45 min into the flight
  45. Land again9,110 km · ≈ 10 h 45 min into the flight
  46. Below: Canadian Shield9,510 km · ≈ 11 h 10 min into the flight
  47. Below: Barren Grounds9,650 km · ≈ 11 h 20 min into the flight
  48. Below: Birch Mountains10,630 km · ≈ 12 h 30 min into the flight
  49. Edmonton, Canada — on the left, 80 km away11,190 km · ≈ 13 h 05 min into the flight
  50. Below: Rocky Mountains11,390 km · ≈ 13 h 20 min into the flight
  51. Calgary, Canada — on the left, 86 km away11,470 km · ≈ 13 h 25 min into the flight
  52. Below: Columbia Kootenay Mountain11,660 km · ≈ 13 h 40 min into the flight
  53. Below: Bitterroot Range11,840 km · ≈ 13 h 50 min into the flight
  54. Local time below changes: UTC−6 to UTC−711,840 km · ≈ 13 h 50 min into the flight
  55. Below: Columbia Plateau12,020 km · ≈ 14 h 05 min into the flight
  56. Local time below changes: UTC−7 to UTC−612,060 km · ≈ 14 h 05 min into the flight
  57. Sacajawea Peak, 2,999 m — on the right, 56 km away12,140 km · ≈ 14 h 10 min into the flight
  58. Below: Great Basin12,420 km · ≈ 14 h 30 min into the flight
  59. Local time below changes: UTC−6 to UTC−712,460 km · ≈ 14 h 35 min into the flight
  60. White Mountain Peak, 4,342 m — on the right, 34 km away12,990 km · ≈ 15 h 10 min into the flight
  61. Mount Whitney, 4,421 m — on the right, 23 km away13,110 km · ≈ 15 h 20 min into the flight
  62. Below: Sierra Nevada13,130 km · ≈ 15 h 20 min into the flight
  63. Bakersfield, United States — on the right, 73 km away13,250 km · ≈ 15 h 30 min into the flight
  64. Landing at Los Angeles International Airport13,400 km · ≈ 15 h 40 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 Los Angeles

Los Angeles
Los Angeles · Photo: Alek Leckszas · CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Flight time and distance

About 15 h 55 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.

8,330 miles (13,400 km, 7,240 nautical miles) along the great circle. The real flight covers a little more because it follows airways.

Time zones you cross

kmTimeZone
0 kmUTC+4Dubai
134 kmUTC+3:30Tehran
1,380 kmUTC+5Ashgabat
2,990 kmUTC+4Samara
3,310 kmUTC+3Moscow
6,120 kmUTC+2Longyearbyen
7,640 kmUTC−4Iqaluit
8,000 kmUTC−5Rankin Inlet
8,800 kmUTC−6Cambridge Bay
11,840 kmUTC−7Los Angeles
12,060 kmUTC−6Boise
12,460 kmUTC−7Los Angeles

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.

  • U.A.E
  • Tehran
  • Turkmenbashi
  • Aktobe
  • Samara
  • Ural
  • Peterburg
  • Bodo Oceanic
  • Nuuk
  • Edmonton
  • Seattle
  • Salt Lake
  • Oakland
  • Los Angeles

FAQ

Where does the plane fly from Dubai to Los Angeles?

Along the shortest route, the flight from Dubai to Los Angeles covers 8,330 miles (13,400 km) — about 15 h 55 min with no wind. It passes over or close to the United Arab Emirates, Iran, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Canada and the United States. It crosses the Caspian Sea, Garabogazköl and the Barents Sea: 34% of the route is over water. Today you leave on UTC+4 and land on UTC−7.

What countries do you fly over from Dubai to Los Angeles?

It passes over or close to the United Arab Emirates, Iran, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Canada and the United States, and crosses the Caspian Sea, Garabogazköl and the Barents Sea. This is the theoretical route: the aircraft may deviate for wind or closed airspace.

How long is the flight from Dubai to Los Angeles?

About 15 h 55 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 Dubai from Los Angeles by plane?

8,330 miles (13,400 km, 7,240 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?

34% of the route, about 4,600 km. The longest stretch without land is 1,380 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: Los Angeles → Dubai

Look up another route

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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