MODO AVIÓN

Dubai to São Paulo flight path

DXB → GRUDXBGRU
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 São Paulo covers 7,590 miles (12,220 km) — about 14 h 35 min with no wind. It passes over or close to the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Chad, Cameroon and Brazil. It crosses the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea and Bight of Biafra: 56% of the route is over water. Today you leave on UTC+4 and land on UTC−3.

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From Dubai International Airport (DXB) to São Paulo/Guarulhos–Governor André Franco Montoro International Airport (GRU) · DXB · GRU

DXBDubai
GRUSão Paulo
Great-circle distance
12,220 km
Duration, no wind
14 h 35 min
Over water
56 %
Time difference today
−7 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 São Paulo?

  • United Arab Emirates
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Sudan
  • Chad
  • Cameroon
  • Brazil
  • Persian Gulf
  • Red Sea
  • Bight of Biafra
  • Gulf of Guinea
  • Atlantic Ocean

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

To see Mount Cameroon (4,040 m), sit on the left: it lies about 24 km from the route, ≈ 6 h 30 min into the flight.

Left window
  • Abu Dhabi ≈ 25 min
  • Omdurman ≈ 3 h 15 min
  • Nyala ≈ 4 h 20 min
  • Douala ≈ 6 h 30 min
  • Mount Cameroon (4,040 m) ≈ 6 h 30 min
  • Pico Basilé (3,008 m) ≈ 6 h 35 min
  • Rio de Janeiro ≈ 13 h 55 min
  • Duque de Caxias ≈ 13 h 55 min
  • Nova Iguaçu ≈ 13 h 55 min
Right window
  • Marrah Mountains (3,042 m) ≈ 4 h 20 min
  • Mount Oku (3,011 m) ≈ 6 h 15 min
  • Calabar ≈ 6 h 35 min
  • Juiz de Fora ≈ 13 h 50 min
  • Pedra da Mina (2,798 m) ≈ 14 h 05 min
  • São José dos Campos ≈ 14 h 15 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 hUTC+3UTC+2UTC+1UTC−3UTC+4Red SeaBight of BiafraLibyan DesertMbang MountainsMount Cameroon 4,040 m 24 kmMarrah Mountains 3,042 m 22 kmMount Oku 3,011 m 91 kmPico Basilé 3,008 m 62 kmPedra da Mina 2,798 m 47 kmRio de Janeiro 62 kmOmdurman 109 kmDouala 70 kmDuque de Caxias 45 kmNova Iguaçu 37 kmSão José dos Campos 6 kmNyala 99 kmJuiz de Fora 62 kmCalabar 94 kmDXBGRU▲ Left window▼ Right window◀ Left windowRight window ▶2 h4 h6 h8 h10 h12 hUTC+3UTC+2UTC+1UTC−3Red SeaBight of BiafraArabian PeninsulaLibyan DesertMarrah MountainsMbang MountainsAbu Dhabi55 km off routeOmdurman109 km off routeNyala99 km off routeDouala70 km off routeMount Cameroon4,040 m · 24 kmPico Basilé3,008 m · 62 kmRio de Janeiro62 km off routeDuque de Caxias45 km off routeMarrah Mountains3,042 m · 22 kmMount Oku3,011 m · 91 kmCalabar94 km off routeJuiz de Fora62 km off routePedra da Mina2,798 m · 47 kmDXBGRUUTC+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. Water starts: Persian Gulf41 km · ≈ 18 min into the flight
  4. Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates — on the left, 55 km away120 km · ≈ 25 min into the flight
  5. Land again407 km · ≈ 45 min into the flight
  6. Local time below changes: UTC+4 to UTC+3407 km · ≈ 45 min into the flight
  7. Below: Rub' al Khali529 km · ≈ 50 min into the flight
  8. Below: Tuwayq Mountains937 km · ≈ 1 h 20 min into the flight
  9. Below: Asir Mountains1,470 km · ≈ 1 h 55 min into the flight
  10. Below: Tihāmah1,590 km · ≈ 2 h 05 min into the flight
  11. Water starts: Red Sea1,670 km · ≈ 2 h 10 min into the flight
  12. Local time below changes: UTC+3 to UTC+21,870 km · ≈ 2 h 25 min into the flight
  13. Below: Sahel2,000 km · ≈ 2 h 35 min into the flight
  14. Land again2,000 km · ≈ 2 h 35 min into the flight
  15. Below: Libyan Desert2,400 km · ≈ 3 h 00 min into the flight
  16. Omdurman, Sudan — on the left, 109 km away2,610 km · ≈ 3 h 15 min into the flight
  17. Below: Marrah Mountains3,420 km · ≈ 4 h 10 min into the flight
  18. Nyala, Sudan — on the left, 99 km away3,520 km · ≈ 4 h 20 min into the flight
  19. Marrah Mountains, 3,042 m — on the right, 22 km away3,530 km · ≈ 4 h 20 min into the flight
  20. Local time below changes: UTC+2 to UTC+13,790 km · ≈ 4 h 35 min into the flight
  21. Below: Mbang Mountains4,640 km · ≈ 5 h 35 min into the flight
  22. Below: Adamawa Plateau4,680 km · ≈ 5 h 40 min into the flight
  23. Mount Oku, 3,011 m — on the right, 91 km away5,210 km · ≈ 6 h 15 min into the flight
  24. Douala, Cameroon — on the left, 70 km away5,410 km · ≈ 6 h 30 min into the flight
  25. Mount Cameroon, 4,040 m — on the left, 24 km away5,450 km · ≈ 6 h 30 min into the flight
  26. Calabar, Nigeria — on the right, 94 km away5,490 km · ≈ 6 h 35 min into the flight
  27. Bight of Biafra and Gulf of Guinea — 6,150 km without land5,500 km · ≈ 6 h 35 min into the flight
  28. Pico Basilé, 3,008 m — on the left, 62 km away5,530 km · ≈ 6 h 35 min into the flight
  29. Local time below changes: UTC+1 to UTC−311,610 km · ≈ 13 h 35 min into the flight
  30. Below: Serra da Mantiquiera11,690 km · ≈ 13 h 40 min into the flight
  31. Juiz de Fora, Brazil — on the right, 62 km away11,850 km · ≈ 13 h 50 min into the flight
  32. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil — on the left, 62 km away11,880 km · ≈ 13 h 55 min into the flight
  33. Duque de Caxias, Brazil — on the left, 45 km away11,890 km · ≈ 13 h 55 min into the flight
  34. Nova Iguaçu, Brazil — on the left, 37 km away11,900 km · ≈ 13 h 55 min into the flight
  35. Pedra da Mina, 2,798 m — on the right, 47 km away12,020 km · ≈ 14 h 05 min into the flight
  36. São José dos Campos, Brazil — on the right, 6 km away12,150 km · ≈ 14 h 15 min into the flight
  37. Landing at São Paulo/Guarulhos–Governor André Franco Montoro International Airport12,220 km · ≈ 14 h 20 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 São Paulo

São Paulo
São Paulo · Photo: Thomas Hobbs · CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Flight time and distance

About 14 h 35 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.

7,590 miles (12,220 km, 6,600 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
407 kmUTC+3Riyadh
1,870 kmUTC+2Khartoum
3,790 kmUTC+1Ndjamena
11,610 kmUTC−3Sao Paulo

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
  • Jeddah
  • Asmara
  • Khartoum
  • N'Djamena
  • Brazzaville
  • Accra Oceanic
  • Dakar Oceanic
  • Atlantico
  • Curitiba
  • Brasilia

FAQ

Where does the plane fly from Dubai to São Paulo?

Along the shortest route, the flight from Dubai to São Paulo covers 7,590 miles (12,220 km) — about 14 h 35 min with no wind. It passes over or close to the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Chad, Cameroon and Brazil. It crosses the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea and Bight of Biafra: 56% of the route is over water. Today you leave on UTC+4 and land on UTC−3.

What countries do you fly over from Dubai to São Paulo?

It passes over or close to the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Chad, Cameroon and Brazil, and crosses the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea and Bight of Biafra. This is the theoretical route: the aircraft may deviate for wind or closed airspace.

How long is the flight from Dubai to São Paulo?

About 14 h 35 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 São Paulo by plane?

7,590 miles (12,220 km, 6,600 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?

56% of the route, about 6,840 km. The longest stretch without land is 6,150 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: São Paulo → 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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