Beijing to Salt Lake City
12h 33mgate to gate
The flight from Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK) to Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) covers 9,770 km (6,071 miles) and takes approximately 12h 33m gate to gate for a typical jet.
The route heads north-east on an initial great-circle bearing of 35°, passing near 64.2° N, 178.4° W at its midpoint.
Bearing 35° north-east Midpoint 64.2° N, 178.4° W Model 805 km/h + 25 min
SOURCE·OurAirports + great-circle computation·REVIEWED JUL 2026
How this is worked out
- Take both airports' published coordinates from OurAirports — nothing here is scraped from another flight site.
- Great-circle distance by haversine on a mean earth radius of 6,371.0088 km: 9,770 km.
- Airborne time = that distance ÷ 805 km/h, a representative jet cruise speed: 12h 08m.
- Add a flat 25 minutes for pushback, taxi, climb, descent and taxi-in — the reason a 400 km hop is never half an hour: 12h 33m gate to gate.
- Winds, aircraft type and airline schedule padding are not modelled. The cruise-speed table shows how much that assumption is worth.
9,770 km / 805 km/h = 12h 08m airborne
+ 25 min ground = 12h 33m gate to gate
SOURCE·OurAirports + great-circle computation·REVIEWED JUL 2026
The same route, plotted on a world grid
The strip above gives the route its length and its shape. This gives it a position: latitude and longitude only, no coastlines, because a hand-drawn coastline would be decoration pretending to be data. On a flat grid the shortest path looks bent; on a globe it is straight.
Flight time at different cruise speeds
Aircraft type, winds and routing all move the real number. This is the same distance flown at different speeds, plus the 25-minute ground and climb allowance.
| Typical of | Cruise speed | Airborne | Gate to gate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turboprop / regional | 550 km/h | 17h 46m | 18h 11m |
| Narrowbody jet (A320, 737) | 780 km/h | 12h 32m | 12h 57m |
| Widebody jet (777, 787, A350) | 900 km/h | 10h 51m | 11h 17m |
| Private jet (Gulfstream) | 850 km/h | 11h 30m | 11h 55m |
Headwinds on an eastbound long-haul routinely add 30–60 minutes; the same route westbound can be quicker. Airlines publish schedules with padding built in.
SOURCE·OurAirports + great-circle computation·REVIEWED JUL 2026
Both airports
| PEK | SLC | |
|---|---|---|
| Airport | Beijing Capital International Airport | Salt Lake City International Airport |
| City | Beijing | Salt Lake City |
| Country | China | United States |
| ICAO | ZBAA | KSLC |
| Coordinates | 40.0773, 116.5967 | 40.7889, -111.9799 |
| Elevation | 116 ft | 4,227 ft |
Every figure on this plate is geometry. The shape of the earth is knowable; the airline's schedule is not.
Questions this plate answers
How long is the flight from Beijing to Salt Lake City?
A non-stop flight from Beijing (PEK) to Salt Lake City (SLC) takes about 12h 33m. The great-circle distance is 9,770 km (6,071 miles, 5,275 nautical miles), flying north-east on an initial bearing of 35°.
How far is Beijing from Salt Lake City?
9,770 kilometres in a straight line over the earth's surface — 6,071 miles or 5,275 nautical miles. Actual flown distance is usually 2–5% longer because aircraft follow airways, avoid weather and route around restricted airspace.
Is there a non-stop flight between PEK and SLC?
This page calculates the direct-line time and distance; it does not track airline schedules. At 9,770 km the route is comfortably within range of a non-stop service if an airline chooses to fly it. Check an airline or booking site for what is actually scheduled.
What should I expect on a 12h 33m flight?
Anything past six hours is a long-haul flight: expect at least one meal service, a significant time-zone shift, and enough sitting that circulation and hydration start to matter. Cabin altitude, dry air and disrupted sleep do more damage to a training routine than the flight itself.
Airport coordinates from OurAirports (public domain). Distance is a great-circle calculation; flight time uses the model described on the method page. Flight times are great-circle estimates for planning only — always check the airline's published schedule.
