MODO AVIÓN

Sydney to London flight path

SYD → LHRSYDLHR
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 Sydney to London covers 10,580 miles (17,020 km) — about 20 h 05 min with no wind. It passes over or close to Australia, Indonesia, the Philippines, People's Republic of China, Kazakhstan, Russia, Latvia, Lithuania, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. It crosses the Arafura Sea, the Banda Sea and the Ceram Sea: 32% of the route is over water. Today you leave on UTC+11 and land on UTC+1.

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From Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport (SYD) to London Heathrow Airport (LHR) · SYD · LHR

SYDSydney
LHRLondon
Great-circle distance
17,020 km
Duration, no wind
20 h 05 min
Over water
32 %
Time difference today
−10 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 Sydney to London?

  • Australia
  • Indonesia
  • Philippines
  • People's Republic of China
  • Kazakhstan
  • Russia
  • Latvia
  • Lithuania
  • Sweden
  • Denmark
  • Germany
  • Netherlands
  • United Kingdom
  • Arafura Sea
  • Banda Sea
  • Ceram Sea
  • Molucca Sea
  • Celebes Sea
  • Sulu Sea
  • South China Sea
  • Baltic Sea
  • North Sea
  • Wadden Sea

Which side of the plane to sit on to see Amne Machin

To see Amne Machin (6,282 m), sit on the right: it lies about 45 km from the route, ≈ 11 h 00 min into the flight.

Left window
  • Zhanjiang ≈ 8 h 50 min
  • Lianjiang ≈ 8 h 55 min
  • Astana ≈ 14 h 20 min
  • Mount Yamantau (1,638 m) ≈ 15 h 25 min
  • Hamburg ≈ 19 h 00 min
Right window
  • Gaozhou ≈ 8 h 55 min
  • Shengtang Mountain (1,935 m) ≈ 9 h 10 min
  • Liuzhou ≈ 9 h 15 min
  • Guiyang ≈ 9 h 40 min
  • Zunyi ≈ 9 h 45 min
  • Chengdu ≈ 10 h 15 min
  • Amne Machin (6,282 m) ≈ 11 h 00 min
  • Bogda Peak (5,445 m) ≈ 12 h 35 min
  • Ürümqi ≈ 12 h 40 min
  • Gora Tastau (2,992 m) ≈ 13 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 h14 h16 h18 hUTC+10UTC+9:30UTC+9UTC+8UTC+5UTC+3UTC+4UTC+3UTC+2UTC+1UTC+11Arafura SeaCelebes SeaGreat Dividing RangeSpratly IslandsYunnan-Guizhou PlateauJunggar BasinUral MountainsAmne Machin 6,282 m 45 kmBogda Peak 5,445 m 57 kmGora Tastau 2,992 m 55 kmShengtang Mountain 1,935 m 109 kmMount Yamantau 1,638 m 85 kmChengdu 82 kmGuiyang 8 kmHamburg 94 kmAstana 25 kmZhanjiang 46 kmLianjiang 28 kmSYDLHR▲ Left window▼ Right window◀ Left windowRight window ▶2 h4 h6 h8 h10 h12 h14 h16 h18 hUTC+10UTC+9:30UTC+9UTC+8UTC+5UTC+3UTC+4UTC+3UTC+2UTC+1Arafura SeaCelebes SeaSouth China SeaGreat Dividing RangeYunnan-Guizhou PlateauTian ShanKazakh SteppeUral MountainsNorth European PlainZhanjiang46 km off routeLianjiang28 km off routeAstana25 km off routeMount Yamantau1,638 m · 85 kmHamburg94 km off routeGaozhou38 km off routeShengtang Mountain1,935 m · 109 kmLiuzhou74 km off routeGuiyang8 km off routeZunyi97 km off routeChengdu82 km off routeAmne Machin6,282 m · 45 kmBogda Peak5,445 m · 57 kmÜrümqi19 km off routeGora Tastau2,992 m · 55 kmSYDLHRUTC+11

LandWaterCity, with its distance from the routePeakClock change

See the full list, leg by leg
  1. Take-off from Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport
  2. Below: Great Dividing Range57 km · ≈ 19 min into the flight
  3. Below: Blue Mountains170 km · ≈ 25 min into the flight
  4. Below: Murray–Darling basin340 km · ≈ 40 min into the flight
  5. Below: Great Artesian Basin681 km · ≈ 1 h 00 min into the flight
  6. Local time below changes: UTC+11 to UTC+10738 km · ≈ 1 h 05 min into the flight
  7. Below: Barkly Tableland2,040 km · ≈ 2 h 35 min into the flight
  8. Local time below changes: UTC+10 to UTC+9:302,160 km · ≈ 2 h 45 min into the flight
  9. Below: Arnhem Land2,720 km · ≈ 3 h 25 min into the flight
  10. Arafura Sea and Banda Sea — 1,650 km without land3,120 km · ≈ 3 h 50 min into the flight
  11. Below: Melanesia3,520 km · ≈ 4 h 20 min into the flight
  12. Local time below changes: UTC+9:30 to UTC+93,520 km · ≈ 4 h 20 min into the flight
  13. Below: Tanimbar Islands3,570 km · ≈ 4 h 20 min into the flight
  14. Below: Maluku Islands3,630 km · ≈ 4 h 25 min into the flight
  15. Local time below changes: UTC+9 to UTC+84,650 km · ≈ 5 h 35 min into the flight
  16. Below: Malay Archipelago4,710 km · ≈ 5 h 40 min into the flight
  17. Below: Sulawesi4,770 km · ≈ 5 h 45 min into the flight
  18. Land again4,770 km · ≈ 5 h 45 min into the flight
  19. Celebes Sea and Sulu Sea — 1,130 km without land4,820 km · ≈ 5 h 50 min into the flight
  20. Below: Greater Sunda Islands4,820 km · ≈ 5 h 50 min into the flight
  21. Below: Philippines5,390 km · ≈ 6 h 25 min into the flight
  22. Below: Sulu Archipelago5,450 km · ≈ 6 h 30 min into the flight
  23. Below: Palawan Island5,960 km · ≈ 7 h 05 min into the flight
  24. Land again5,960 km · ≈ 7 h 05 min into the flight
  25. South China Sea — 1,530 km without land6,010 km · ≈ 7 h 10 min into the flight
  26. Below: Spratly Islands6,180 km · ≈ 7 h 20 min into the flight
  27. Zhanjiang, People's Republic of China — on the left, 46 km away7,500 km · ≈ 8 h 50 min into the flight
  28. Gaozhou, People's Republic of China — on the right, 38 km away7,540 km · ≈ 8 h 55 min into the flight
  29. Lianjiang, People's Republic of China — on the left, 28 km away7,550 km · ≈ 8 h 55 min into the flight
  30. Land again7,550 km · ≈ 8 h 55 min into the flight
  31. Shengtang Mountain, 1,935 m — on the right, 109 km away7,770 km · ≈ 9 h 10 min into the flight
  32. Liuzhou, People's Republic of China — on the right, 74 km away7,840 km · ≈ 9 h 15 min into the flight
  33. Below: Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau8,170 km · ≈ 9 h 40 min into the flight
  34. Guiyang, People's Republic of China — on the right, 8 km away8,200 km · ≈ 9 h 40 min into the flight
  35. Below: Dalou Mountains8,280 km · ≈ 9 h 45 min into the flight
  36. Zunyi, People's Republic of China — on the right, 97 km away8,290 km · ≈ 9 h 45 min into the flight
  37. Below: Sichuan Basin8,510 km · ≈ 10 h 00 min into the flight
  38. Chengdu, People's Republic of China — on the right, 82 km away8,720 km · ≈ 10 h 15 min into the flight
  39. Below: Tibetan Plateau8,790 km · ≈ 10 h 20 min into the flight
  40. Amne Machin, 6,282 m — on the right, 45 km away9,350 km · ≈ 11 h 00 min into the flight
  41. Below: Kunlun Mountains9,470 km · ≈ 11 h 10 min into the flight
  42. Below: Qaidam Basin9,590 km · ≈ 11 h 15 min into the flight
  43. Below: Altyn-Tagh10,040 km · ≈ 11 h 50 min into the flight
  44. Below: Tian Shan10,670 km · ≈ 12 h 30 min into the flight
  45. Bogda Peak, 5,445 m — on the right, 57 km away10,730 km · ≈ 12 h 35 min into the flight
  46. Ürümqi, People's Republic of China — on the right, 19 km away10,770 km · ≈ 12 h 40 min into the flight
  47. Below: Junggar Basin10,890 km · ≈ 12 h 45 min into the flight
  48. Local time below changes: UTC+8 to UTC+511,290 km · ≈ 13 h 15 min into the flight
  49. Gora Tastau, 2,992 m — on the right, 55 km away11,320 km · ≈ 13 h 15 min into the flight
  50. Below: Tarbagatai Mountains11,400 km · ≈ 13 h 20 min into the flight
  51. Below: Kazakh Steppe11,630 km · ≈ 13 h 35 min into the flight
  52. Below: Kazakh Uplands11,740 km · ≈ 13 h 45 min into the flight
  53. Astana, Kazakhstan — on the left, 25 km away12,230 km · ≈ 14 h 20 min into the flight
  54. Below: Ural Mountains13,160 km · ≈ 15 h 25 min into the flight
  55. Mount Yamantau, 1,638 m — on the left, 85 km away13,190 km · ≈ 15 h 25 min into the flight
  56. Local time below changes: UTC+5 to UTC+313,500 km · ≈ 15 h 45 min into the flight
  57. Local time below changes: UTC+3 to UTC+413,620 km · ≈ 15 h 55 min into the flight
  58. Local time below changes: UTC+4 to UTC+313,670 km · ≈ 16 h 00 min into the flight
  59. Below: North European Plain14,580 km · ≈ 17 h 00 min into the flight
  60. Below: North-Estonian Coastal Plain15,210 km · ≈ 17 h 45 min into the flight
  61. Water starts: Baltic Sea15,550 km · ≈ 18 h 05 min into the flight
  62. Local time below changes: UTC+3 to UTC+216,000 km · ≈ 18 h 40 min into the flight
  63. Land again16,110 km · ≈ 18 h 45 min into the flight
  64. Hamburg, Germany — on the left, 94 km away16,280 km · ≈ 19 h 00 min into the flight
  65. Water starts: North Sea and Wadden Sea16,340 km · ≈ 19 h 00 min into the flight
  66. Below: Frisian Islands16,450 km · ≈ 19 h 10 min into the flight
  67. Below: British Isles16,850 km · ≈ 19 h 35 min into the flight
  68. Local time below changes: UTC+2 to UTC+116,850 km · ≈ 19 h 35 min into the flight
  69. Below: Great Britain16,910 km · ≈ 19 h 40 min into the flight
  70. Land again16,910 km · ≈ 19 h 40 min into the flight
  71. Landing at London Heathrow Airport17,020 km · ≈ 19 h 50 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 London

London
London · Photo: Ilya Grigorik · CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Flight time and distance

About 20 h 05 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.

10,580 miles (17,020 km, 9,190 nautical miles) along the great circle. The real flight covers a little more because it follows airways.

Time zones you cross

kmTimeZone
0 kmUTC+11Sydney
738 kmUTC+10Brisbane
2,160 kmUTC+9:30Darwin
3,520 kmUTC+9Jayapura
4,650 kmUTC+8Makassar
11,290 kmUTC+5Almaty
13,500 kmUTC+3Moscow
13,620 kmUTC+4Samara
13,670 kmUTC+3Kirov
16,000 kmUTC+2Stockholm
16,850 kmUTC+1London

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.

  • Melbourne (Bindook) 129.8* (133.15)
  • Brisbane (Armidale) 130.9
  • Melbourne (Alice Springs) 128.85
  • Brisbane (Isa) 125.7
  • Brisbane (Arafura) 133.7* (125.7)
  • Brisbane (Territory South) 133.2* (123.85)
  • Brisbane (Arafura) 133.7* (125.7)
  • Brisbane (Territory South) 133.2* (123.85)
  • Brisbane (Territory North) 123.85
  • Brisbane (Arafura) 133.7* (125.7)
  • Ujung Pandang
  • Manila
  • Hong Kong
  • Nanning
  • Kunming
  • Lanzhou
  • Urumqi
  • Almaty
  • Astana
  • Ural
  • Samara
  • Moscow
  • Peterburg
  • Riga
  • Vilnius
  • Kaliningrad
  • Sweden
  • Kobenhavn
  • Bremen
  • Amsterdam
  • London

FAQ

Where does the plane fly from Sydney to London?

Along the shortest route, the flight from Sydney to London covers 10,580 miles (17,020 km) — about 20 h 05 min with no wind. It passes over or close to Australia, Indonesia, the Philippines, People's Republic of China, Kazakhstan, Russia, Latvia, Lithuania, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. It crosses the Arafura Sea, the Banda Sea and the Ceram Sea: 32% of the route is over water. Today you leave on UTC+11 and land on UTC+1.

What countries do you fly over from Sydney to London?

It passes over or close to Australia, Indonesia, the Philippines, People's Republic of China, Kazakhstan, Russia, Latvia, Lithuania, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, and crosses the Arafura Sea, the Banda Sea and the Ceram Sea. This is the theoretical route: the aircraft may deviate for wind or closed airspace.

How long is the flight from Sydney to London?

About 20 h 05 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 Sydney from London by plane?

10,580 miles (17,020 km, 9,190 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?

32% of the route, about 5,450 km. The longest stretch without land is 1,650 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: London → Sydney

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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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