MODO AVIÓN

Los Angeles to Dubai flight path

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

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

LAXLos Angeles
DXBDubai
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 Los Angeles to Dubai?

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

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

To see Mount Whitney (4,421 m), sit on the left: it lies about 23 km from the route, ≈ 35 min into the flight.

Left window
  • Bakersfield ≈ 25 min
  • Mount Whitney (4,421 m) ≈ 35 min
  • White Mountain Peak (4,342 m) ≈ 45 min
  • Sacajawea Peak (2,999 m) ≈ 1 h 40 min
  • Outlook Peak (2,210 m) ≈ 6 h 15 min
  • Kirov ≈ 11 h 20 min
  • Oral ≈ 12 h 20 min
Right window
  • Calgary ≈ 2 h 30 min
  • Edmonton ≈ 2 h 50 min
  • Barbeau Peak (2,616 m) ≈ 6 h 40 min
  • Kazan ≈ 11 h 40 min
  • Tolyatti ≈ 12 h 00 min
  • Samara ≈ 12 h 05 min
  • Atyrau ≈ 12 h 50 min
  • Yazd ≈ 14 h 50 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−6UTC−7UTC−6UTC−5UTC−4UTC+2UTC+3UTC+4UTC+5UTC+3:30UTC+4UTC−7Arctic OceanBarents SeaSierra NevadaRocky MountainsCanadian ShieldKanin PeninsulaPontic-Caspian steppeSacajawea 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 kmYazd 17 kmOral 19 kmLAXDXB▲ Left window▼ Right window◀ Left windowRight window ▶2 h4 h6 h8 h10 h12 h14 hUTC−6UTC−7UTC−6UTC−5UTC−4UTC+2UTC+3UTC+4UTC+5UTC+3:30UTC+4Arctic OceanBarents SeaSierra NevadaRocky MountainsBirch MountainsVictoria IslandKanin PeninsulaPontic-Caspian steppeElburz MountainsBakersfield73 km off routeMount Whitney4,421 m · 23 kmWhite Mountain Peak4,342 m · 34 kmSacajawea Peak2,999 m · 56 kmOutlook Peak2,210 m · 17 kmKirov38 km off routeOral19 km off routeCalgary86 km off routeEdmonton80 km off routeBarbeau Peak2,616 m · 58 kmKazan49 km off routeTolyatti79 km off routeSamara34 km off routeAtyrau14 km off routeYazd17 km off routeLAXDXBUTC−7

LandWaterCity, with its distance from the routePeakClock change

See the full list, leg by leg
  1. Take-off from Los Angeles International Airport
  2. Below: Sierra Nevada134 km · ≈ 25 min into the flight
  3. Bakersfield, United States — on the left, 73 km away152 km · ≈ 25 min into the flight
  4. Mount Whitney, 4,421 m — on the left, 23 km away293 km · ≈ 35 min into the flight
  5. Below: Great Basin313 km · ≈ 35 min into the flight
  6. White Mountain Peak, 4,342 m — on the left, 34 km away409 km · ≈ 45 min into the flight
  7. Local time below changes: UTC−7 to UTC−6983 km · ≈ 1 h 25 min into the flight
  8. Below: Columbia Plateau1,030 km · ≈ 1 h 25 min into the flight
  9. Sacajawea Peak, 2,999 m — on the left, 56 km away1,260 km · ≈ 1 h 40 min into the flight
  10. Local time below changes: UTC−6 to UTC−71,380 km · ≈ 1 h 50 min into the flight
  11. Below: Rocky Mountains1,430 km · ≈ 1 h 55 min into the flight
  12. Below: Bitterroot Range1,520 km · ≈ 2 h 00 min into the flight
  13. Below: Columbia Kootenay Mountain1,610 km · ≈ 2 h 05 min into the flight
  14. Local time below changes: UTC−7 to UTC−61,610 km · ≈ 2 h 05 min into the flight
  15. Calgary, Canada — on the right, 86 km away1,930 km · ≈ 2 h 30 min into the flight
  16. Edmonton, Canada — on the right, 80 km away2,210 km · ≈ 2 h 50 min into the flight
  17. Below: Birch Mountains2,590 km · ≈ 3 h 15 min into the flight
  18. Below: Canadian Shield3,040 km · ≈ 3 h 45 min into the flight
  19. Below: Barren Grounds3,440 km · ≈ 4 h 10 min into the flight
  20. Below: Victoria Island3,980 km · ≈ 4 h 50 min into the flight
  21. Northwest Passage — 804 km without land4,330 km · ≈ 5 h 15 min into the flight
  22. Below: Canadian Arctic Archipelago4,330 km · ≈ 5 h 15 min into the flight
  23. Below: Queen Elizabeth Islands4,600 km · ≈ 5 h 30 min into the flight
  24. Local time below changes: UTC−6 to UTC−54,650 km · ≈ 5 h 35 min into the flight
  25. Below: Bathurst Island4,730 km · ≈ 5 h 40 min into the flight
  26. Below: Axel Heiberg Island5,140 km · ≈ 6 h 10 min into the flight
  27. Land again5,140 km · ≈ 6 h 10 min into the flight
  28. Outlook Peak, 2,210 m — on the left, 17 km away5,240 km · ≈ 6 h 15 min into the flight
  29. Below: Ellesmere Island5,450 km · ≈ 6 h 30 min into the flight
  30. Local time below changes: UTC−5 to UTC−45,450 km · ≈ 6 h 30 min into the flight
  31. Barbeau Peak, 2,616 m — on the right, 58 km away5,600 km · ≈ 6 h 40 min into the flight
  32. Arctic Ocean — 1,380 km without land5,760 km · ≈ 6 h 50 min into the flight
  33. Below: Svalbard6,970 km · ≈ 8 h 15 min into the flight
  34. Local time below changes: UTC−4 to UTC+27,060 km · ≈ 8 h 20 min into the flight
  35. Below: Nordaustlandet7,150 km · ≈ 8 h 30 min into the flight
  36. Land again7,150 km · ≈ 8 h 30 min into the flight
  37. Barents Sea — 1,340 km without land7,190 km · ≈ 8 h 30 min into the flight
  38. Below: Kanin Peninsula8,530 km · ≈ 10 h 05 min into the flight
  39. Land again8,530 km · ≈ 10 h 05 min into the flight
  40. Local time below changes: UTC+2 to UTC+38,530 km · ≈ 10 h 05 min into the flight
  41. Below: North European Plain8,710 km · ≈ 10 h 15 min into the flight
  42. Kirov, Russia — on the left, 38 km away9,670 km · ≈ 11 h 20 min into the flight
  43. Kazan, Russia — on the right, 49 km away9,970 km · ≈ 11 h 40 min into the flight
  44. Below: Pontic-Caspian steppe10,100 km · ≈ 11 h 50 min into the flight
  45. Local time below changes: UTC+3 to UTC+410,140 km · ≈ 11 h 55 min into the flight
  46. Tolyatti, Russia — on the right, 79 km away10,220 km · ≈ 12 h 00 min into the flight
  47. Samara, Russia — on the right, 34 km away10,260 km · ≈ 12 h 05 min into the flight
  48. Local time below changes: UTC+4 to UTC+510,450 km · ≈ 12 h 15 min into the flight
  49. Oral, Kazakhstan — on the left, 19 km away10,490 km · ≈ 12 h 20 min into the flight
  50. Below: Caspian Depression10,770 km · ≈ 12 h 35 min into the flight
  51. Atyrau, Kazakhstan — on the right, 14 km away10,950 km · ≈ 12 h 50 min into the flight
  52. Water starts: Caspian Sea10,990 km · ≈ 12 h 55 min into the flight
  53. Land again11,170 km · ≈ 13 h 05 min into the flight
  54. Water starts: Garabogazköl11,520 km · ≈ 13 h 30 min into the flight
  55. Land again11,700 km · ≈ 13 h 40 min into the flight
  56. Water starts: Caspian Sea11,790 km · ≈ 13 h 50 min into the flight
  57. Local time below changes: UTC+5 to UTC+3:3012,060 km · ≈ 14 h 05 min into the flight
  58. Below: Elburz Mountains12,150 km · ≈ 14 h 15 min into the flight
  59. Below: Dasht-e Kavir12,330 km · ≈ 14 h 25 min into the flight
  60. Yazd, Iran — on the right, 17 km away12,660 km · ≈ 14 h 50 min into the flight
  61. Below: Kuhrud Mountains12,860 km · ≈ 15 h 00 min into the flight
  62. Below: Zagros Mountains13,040 km · ≈ 15 h 15 min into the flight
  63. Landing at Dubai International Airport13,400 km · ≈ 15 h 40 min into the flight
  64. Below: Arabian Peninsula13,400 km · ≈ 15 h 40 min into the flight
  65. Local time below changes: UTC+3:30 to UTC+413,400 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 Dubai

Dubai
Dubai · Photo: Tim Reckmann from Hamm, Deutschland · CC BY-SA 3.0, 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−7Los Angeles
983 kmUTC−6Boise
1,380 kmUTC−7Los Angeles
1,610 kmUTC−6Denver
4,650 kmUTC−5Rankin Inlet
5,450 kmUTC−4Iqaluit
7,060 kmUTC+2Longyearbyen
8,530 kmUTC+3Moscow
10,140 kmUTC+4Samara
10,450 kmUTC+5Oral
12,060 kmUTC+3:30Tehran
13,400 kmUTC+4Dubai

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.

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

FAQ

Where does the plane fly from Los Angeles to Dubai?

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

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

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

How long is the flight from Los Angeles to Dubai?

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 Los Angeles from Dubai 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: Dubai → Los Angeles

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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