MODO AVIÓN

Madrid to Punta del Este flight path

MAD → PDPMADPDP
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 Madrid to Punta del Este covers 6,150 miles (9,900 km) — about 11 h 55 min with no wind. It passes over or close to Spain, Cape Verde, Brazil and Uruguay. It crosses the Atlantic Ocean: 60% of the route is over water. Today you leave on UTC+2 and land on UTC−3.

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From Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport (MAD) to Capitan Corbeta CA Curbelo International Airport (PDP) · MAD · PDP

MADMadrid
PDPPunta del Este
Great-circle distance
9,900 km
Duration, no wind
11 h 55 min
Over water
60 %
Time difference today
−5 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 Madrid to Punta del Este?

  • Spain
  • Cape Verde
  • Brazil
  • Uruguay
  • Atlantic Ocean

Which side of the plane to sit on to see Pico do Fogo

To see Pico do Fogo (2,829 m), sit on the right: it lies about 80 km from the route, ≈ 4 h 15 min into the flight.

Left window
  • Natal ≈ 7 h 15 min
  • Salvador ≈ 8 h 15 min
  • Pedra da Mina (2,798 m) ≈ 9 h 40 min
  • Morro da Boa Vista (1,827 m) ≈ 10 h 35 min
Right window
  • Pico Almanzor (2,592 m) ≈ 25 min
  • Pico do Fogo (2,829 m) ≈ 4 h 15 min
  • Belo Horizonte ≈ 9 h 20 min
  • Campinas ≈ 9 h 50 min
  • Guarulhos ≈ 9 h 55 min
  • São Paulo ≈ 9 h 55 min
  • Osasco ≈ 9 h 55 min
  • São Bernardo do Campo ≈ 9 h 55 min
  • Sorocaba ≈ 9 h 55 min
  • Pico Paraná (1,877 m) ≈ 10 h 15 min
  • Porto Alegre ≈ 10 h 55 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 hUTC+1UTC−1UTC−3UTC+2Atlantic OceanIberian PeninsulaCanary IslandsCaatingaSerra da MantiquieraPico do Fogo 2,829 m 80 kmPedra da Mina 2,798 m 58 kmPico Paraná 1,877 m 115 kmMorro da Boa Vista 1,827 m 6 kmSão Paulo 32 kmBelo Horizonte 8 kmSalvador 100 kmPorto Alegre 16 kmNatal 18 kmMADPDP▲ Left window▼ Right window◀ Left windowRight window ▶2 h4 h6 h8 h10 hUTC+1UTC−1UTC−3Atlantic OceanIberian PeninsulaCanary IslandsCaatingaSerra da MantiquieraNatal18 km off routeSalvador100 km off routePedra da Mina2,798 m · 58 kmMorro da Boa Vista1,827 m · 6 kmPico Almanzor2,592 m · 97 kmPico do Fogo2,829 m · 80 kmBelo Horizonte8 km off routeCampinas107 km off routeGuarulhos28 km off routeSão Paulo32 km off routeOsasco46 km off routeSorocaba105 km off routePorto Alegre16 km off routeMADPDPUTC+2

LandWaterCity, with its distance from the routePeakClock change

See the full list, leg by leg
  1. Take-off from Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport
  2. Below: Iberian Peninsula0 km · ≈ 15 min into the flight
  3. Pico Almanzor, 2,592 m — on the right, 97 km away113 km · ≈ 25 min into the flight
  4. Below: Sierra Morena330 km · ≈ 40 min into the flight
  5. Atlantic Ocean — 5,580 km without land495 km · ≈ 50 min into the flight
  6. Local time below changes: UTC+2 to UTC+11,480 km · ≈ 1 h 55 min into the flight
  7. Below: Canary Islands1,550 km · ≈ 2 h 00 min into the flight
  8. Below: Cape Verde3,200 km · ≈ 3 h 55 min into the flight
  9. Local time below changes: UTC+1 to UTC−13,230 km · ≈ 4 h 00 min into the flight
  10. Below: Boa Vista3,300 km · ≈ 4 h 05 min into the flight
  11. Below: Santiago3,430 km · ≈ 4 h 10 min into the flight
  12. Pico do Fogo, 2,829 m — on the right, 80 km away3,480 km · ≈ 4 h 15 min into the flight
  13. Local time below changes: UTC−1 to UTC−36,040 km · ≈ 7 h 10 min into the flight
  14. Below: Caatinga6,070 km · ≈ 7 h 15 min into the flight
  15. Land again6,070 km · ≈ 7 h 15 min into the flight
  16. Natal, Brazil — on the left, 18 km away6,080 km · ≈ 7 h 15 min into the flight
  17. Below: Borborema Plateau6,170 km · ≈ 7 h 20 min into the flight
  18. Below: Brazilian Highlands6,570 km · ≈ 7 h 50 min into the flight
  19. Salvador, Brazil — on the left, 100 km away6,950 km · ≈ 8 h 15 min into the flight
  20. Belo Horizonte, Brazil — on the right, 8 km away7,910 km · ≈ 9 h 20 min into the flight
  21. Below: Serra da Mantiquiera8,150 km · ≈ 9 h 35 min into the flight
  22. Pedra da Mina, 2,798 m — on the left, 58 km away8,200 km · ≈ 9 h 40 min into the flight
  23. Campinas, Brazil — on the right, 107 km away8,360 km · ≈ 9 h 50 min into the flight
  24. Guarulhos, Brazil — on the right, 28 km away8,380 km · ≈ 9 h 55 min into the flight
  25. São Paulo, Brazil — on the right, 32 km away8,400 km · ≈ 9 h 55 min into the flight
  26. Osasco, Brazil — on the right, 46 km away8,410 km · ≈ 9 h 55 min into the flight
  27. São Bernardo do Campo, Brazil — on the right, 17 km away8,410 km · ≈ 9 h 55 min into the flight
  28. Sorocaba, Brazil — on the right, 105 km away8,440 km · ≈ 9 h 55 min into the flight
  29. Water starts: Atlantic Ocean8,480 km · ≈ 10 h 00 min into the flight
  30. Pico Paraná, 1,877 m — on the right, 115 km away8,680 km · ≈ 10 h 15 min into the flight
  31. Below: Serra do Mar8,840 km · ≈ 10 h 25 min into the flight
  32. Land again8,840 km · ≈ 10 h 25 min into the flight
  33. Morro da Boa Vista, 1,827 m — on the left, 6 km away8,980 km · ≈ 10 h 35 min into the flight
  34. Below: Serra Geral9,110 km · ≈ 10 h 45 min into the flight
  35. Porto Alegre, Brazil — on the right, 16 km away9,250 km · ≈ 10 h 55 min into the flight
  36. Below: Cuchilla Grande9,700 km · ≈ 11 h 25 min into the flight
  37. Landing at Capitan Corbeta CA Curbelo International Airport9,900 km · ≈ 11 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 Punta del Este

Punta del Este
Punta del Este · Photo: Jimmy Baikovicius · CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Flight time and distance

About 11 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.

6,150 miles (9,900 km, 5,340 nautical miles) along the great circle. The real flight covers a little more because it follows airways.

Time zones you cross

kmTimeZone
0 kmUTC+2Madrid
1,480 kmUTC+1Canary
3,230 kmUTC−1Cape Verde
6,040 kmUTC−3Fortaleza

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.

  • Madrid
  • Sevilla
  • Lisboa
  • Agadir
  • Canarias
  • Canarias Oceanic
  • Sal Oceanic
  • Dakar Oceanic
  • Atlantico
  • Recife
  • Brasilia
  • Curitiba
  • Brasilia
  • Curitiba
  • Montevideo

FAQ

Where does the plane fly from Madrid to Punta del Este?

Along the shortest route, the flight from Madrid to Punta del Este covers 6,150 miles (9,900 km) — about 11 h 55 min with no wind. It passes over or close to Spain, Cape Verde, Brazil and Uruguay. It crosses the Atlantic Ocean: 60% of the route is over water. Today you leave on UTC+2 and land on UTC−3.

What countries do you fly over from Madrid to Punta del Este?

It passes over or close to Spain, Cape Verde, Brazil and Uruguay, and crosses the Atlantic Ocean. This is the theoretical route: the aircraft may deviate for wind or closed airspace.

How long is the flight from Madrid to Punta del Este?

About 11 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 Madrid from Punta del Este by plane?

6,150 miles (9,900 km, 5,340 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?

60% of the route, about 5,970 km. The longest stretch without land is 5,580 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: Punta del Este → Madrid

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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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