MODO AVIÓN

São Paulo to Dubai flight path

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

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

GRUSão Paulo
DXBDubai
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 São Paulo to Dubai?

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

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

To see Mount Cameroon (4,040 m), sit on the right: it lies about 24 km from the route, ≈ 8 h 00 min into the flight.

Left window
  • São José dos Campos ≈ 20 min
  • Pedra da Mina (2,798 m) ≈ 30 min
  • Juiz de Fora ≈ 40 min
  • Calabar ≈ 8 h 00 min
  • Mount Oku (3,011 m) ≈ 8 h 20 min
  • Marrah Mountains (3,042 m) ≈ 10 h 15 min
Right window
  • Nova Iguaçu ≈ 35 min
  • Duque de Caxias ≈ 40 min
  • Rio de Janeiro ≈ 40 min
  • Pico Basilé (3,008 m) ≈ 7 h 55 min
  • Mount Cameroon (4,040 m) ≈ 8 h 00 min
  • Douala ≈ 8 h 05 min
  • Nyala ≈ 10 h 15 min
  • Omdurman ≈ 11 h 20 min
  • Abu Dhabi ≈ 14 h 10 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+1UTC+2UTC+3UTC+4UTC−3Atlantic OceanRed SeaSerra da MantiquieraAdamawa PlateauLibyan DesertMount Cameroon 4,040 m 24 kmMarrah Mountains 3,042 m 22 kmMount Oku 3,011 m 91 kmPico Basilé 3,008 m 62 kmOmdurman 109 kmAbu Dhabi 55 kmDouala 70 kmNyala 99 kmCalabar 94 kmGRUDXB▲ Left window▼ Right window◀ Left windowRight window ▶2 h4 h6 h8 h10 h12 hUTC+1UTC+2UTC+3UTC+4Atlantic OceanRed SeaSerra da MantiquieraAdamawa PlateauSahelMarrah MountainsArabian PeninsulaSão José dos Campos6 km off routePedra da Mina2,798 m · 47 kmJuiz de Fora62 km off routeCalabar94 km off routeMount Oku3,011 m · 91 kmMarrah Mountains3,042 m · 22 kmNova Iguaçu37 km off routeDuque de Caxias45 km off routeRio de Janeiro62 km off routePico Basilé3,008 m · 62 kmMount Cameroon4,040 m · 24 kmDouala70 km off routeNyala99 km off routeOmdurman109 km off routeAbu Dhabi55 km off routeGRUDXBUTC−3

LandWaterCity, with its distance from the routePeakClock change

See the full list, leg by leg
  1. Take-off from São Paulo/Guarulhos–Governor André Franco Montoro International Airport
  2. Below: Serra da Mantiquiera0 km · ≈ 15 min into the flight
  3. São José dos Campos, Brazil — on the left, 6 km away66 km · ≈ 20 min into the flight
  4. Pedra da Mina, 2,798 m — on the left, 47 km away195 km · ≈ 30 min into the flight
  5. Nova Iguaçu, Brazil — on the right, 37 km away316 km · ≈ 35 min into the flight
  6. Duque de Caxias, Brazil — on the right, 45 km away328 km · ≈ 40 min into the flight
  7. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil — on the right, 62 km away335 km · ≈ 40 min into the flight
  8. Juiz de Fora, Brazil — on the left, 62 km away365 km · ≈ 40 min into the flight
  9. Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Guinea — 6,150 km without land611 km · ≈ 55 min into the flight
  10. Pico Basilé, 3,008 m — on the right, 62 km away6,690 km · ≈ 7 h 55 min into the flight
  11. Calabar, Nigeria — on the left, 94 km away6,730 km · ≈ 8 h 00 min into the flight
  12. Land again6,760 km · ≈ 8 h 00 min into the flight
  13. Local time below changes: UTC−3 to UTC+16,760 km · ≈ 8 h 00 min into the flight
  14. Mount Cameroon, 4,040 m — on the right, 24 km away6,770 km · ≈ 8 h 00 min into the flight
  15. Douala, Cameroon — on the right, 70 km away6,810 km · ≈ 8 h 05 min into the flight
  16. Below: Adamawa Plateau6,840 km · ≈ 8 h 05 min into the flight
  17. Mount Oku, 3,011 m — on the left, 91 km away7,000 km · ≈ 8 h 20 min into the flight
  18. Below: Mbang Mountains7,570 km · ≈ 8 h 55 min into the flight
  19. Below: Sahel8,140 km · ≈ 9 h 35 min into the flight
  20. Below: Libyan Desert8,270 km · ≈ 9 h 45 min into the flight
  21. Local time below changes: UTC+1 to UTC+28,470 km · ≈ 10 h 00 min into the flight
  22. Below: Marrah Mountains8,630 km · ≈ 10 h 10 min into the flight
  23. Marrah Mountains, 3,042 m — on the left, 22 km away8,680 km · ≈ 10 h 15 min into the flight
  24. Nyala, Sudan — on the right, 99 km away8,700 km · ≈ 10 h 15 min into the flight
  25. Omdurman, Sudan — on the right, 109 km away9,610 km · ≈ 11 h 20 min into the flight
  26. Water starts: Red Sea10,260 km · ≈ 12 h 05 min into the flight
  27. Local time below changes: UTC+2 to UTC+310,510 km · ≈ 12 h 20 min into the flight
  28. Below: Tihāmah10,590 km · ≈ 12 h 25 min into the flight
  29. Below: Asir Mountains10,670 km · ≈ 12 h 30 min into the flight
  30. Below: Arabian Peninsula10,790 km · ≈ 12 h 40 min into the flight
  31. Below: Tuwayq Mountains11,200 km · ≈ 13 h 05 min into the flight
  32. Below: Rub' al Khali11,610 km · ≈ 13 h 35 min into the flight
  33. Water starts: Persian Gulf11,850 km · ≈ 13 h 50 min into the flight
  34. Local time below changes: UTC+3 to UTC+411,850 km · ≈ 13 h 50 min into the flight
  35. Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates — on the right, 55 km away12,100 km · ≈ 14 h 10 min into the flight
  36. Landing at Dubai 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 Dubai

Dubai
Dubai · Photo: Tim Reckmann from Hamm, Deutschland · CC BY-SA 3.0, 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−3Sao Paulo
6,760 kmUTC+1Douala
8,470 kmUTC+2Khartoum
10,510 kmUTC+3Riyadh
11,850 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.

  • Brasilia
  • Curitiba
  • Atlantico
  • Dakar Oceanic
  • Accra Oceanic
  • Brazzaville
  • N'Djamena
  • Khartoum
  • Asmara
  • Jeddah
  • U.A.E

FAQ

Where does the plane fly from São Paulo to Dubai?

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

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

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

How long is the flight from São Paulo to Dubai?

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 São Paulo from Dubai 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: Dubai → São Paulo

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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