Chicago to Cape Town
17h 27mgate to gate
The flight from Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to Cape Town International Airport (CPT) covers 13,710 km (8,519 miles) and takes approximately 17h 27m gate to gate for a typical jet.
The route heads east on an initial great-circle bearing of 108°, passing near 6.7° N, 30.5° W at its midpoint.
Bearing 108° east Midpoint 6.7° N, 30.5° 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: 13,710 km.
- Airborne time = that distance ÷ 805 km/h, a representative jet cruise speed: 17h 02m.
- Add a flat 25 minutes for pushback, taxi, climb, descent and taxi-in — the reason a 400 km hop is never half an hour: 17h 27m gate to gate.
- Winds, aircraft type and airline schedule padding are not modelled. The cruise-speed table shows how much that assumption is worth.
13,710 km / 805 km/h = 17h 02m airborne
+ 25 min ground = 17h 27m 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 | 24h 56m | 25h 21m |
| Narrowbody jet (A320, 737) | 780 km/h | 17h 35m | 18h 00m |
| Widebody jet (777, 787, A350) | 900 km/h | 15h 14m | 15h 39m |
| Private jet (Gulfstream) | 850 km/h | 16h 08m | 16h 33m |
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
| ORD | CPT | |
|---|---|---|
| Airport | Chicago O'Hare International Airport | Cape Town International Airport |
| City | Chicago | Cape Town |
| Country | United States | South Africa |
| ICAO | KORD | FACT |
| Coordinates | 41.9786, -87.9048 | -33.974, 18.6043 |
| Elevation | 680 ft | 151 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 Chicago to Cape Town?
A non-stop flight from Chicago (ORD) to Cape Town (CPT) takes about 17h 27m. The great-circle distance is 13,710 km (8,519 miles, 7,403 nautical miles), flying east on an initial bearing of 108°.
How far is Chicago from Cape Town?
13,710 kilometres in a straight line over the earth's surface — 8,519 miles or 7,403 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 ORD and CPT?
This page calculates the direct-line time and distance; it does not track airline schedules. At 13,710 km the route is within reach of long-range widebodies, though not every city pair is served non-stop. Check an airline or booking site for what is actually scheduled.
What should I expect on a 17h 27m 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.
